Breaking all the rules
by PT21
Summary: Ziva is on the run. Not just from her enemy, but from the man who wants more than friendship from her. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Breaking all the rules

By Caz

Disclaimer is in force, so leave me be, you brutes!

Set: After Aliyah (End of Season six)

Rated: **M** for naughty words, and who knows later on ;) But be warned, there is a rape scene that some readers might find upsetting. This story is pure fiction, and primarily a love story, (eventually ::wink, wink::) so please excuse the plot.

A million thanks to Patti for proof reading this for me. You're a star!

Chapter one

The two men watched with mute curiosity as the only female member of their immediate team rounded her desk and began to behave as though she were going home. Ziva barely gave her comrades a glance as she continued her task whilst silently hoping and praying that neither one of them would ask her what she was doing. But then she forgot how nosy her partner was as only seconds passed before he asked the inevitable.

"Going somewhere, Zee? I didn't know we had a case on."

Ziva paused briefly, closed her eyes and prepared herself for the lie about to fall from her lips. "There isn't one, Tony, I'm…I'm going home. I've got some things to do."

By the time she'd finished her minimal explanation she had her backpack zipped and was swinging it over her shoulder as she rounded her desk again. Her muttered, "See you," was clipped and somewhat a little sad, and as Tony pushed himself to a stand she belatedly realized that she'd given too much away with her too simple words, much, much too much.

By the time she had reached the elevator and punched the button both men had risen from their chairs and watched her departure with curiosity and unease, and it took Ziva a monumental effort to not turn her face towards them for fear that they would see the enormous tears that now clung to her sooty eyelashes. Her heart pounded as she waited – willed the elevator to hurry, and when it at last arrived she shot into it like a bullet from a gun and then just as quickly punched the button to close its doors.

Tony and Tim stood silently watching the empty, telling space where their team mate had stood, until finally, Tim said quietly, "Ziva seemed to be in a bit of a hurry.

Without taking his eyes of the elevator doors, Tony murmured distractedly, "Yeah, she did, and I wonder why she left her badge behind."

"Maybe she's just going to get some lunch." Tim added hopefully.

Still staring at the doors, Tony slowly shook his head and said, "Nope, don't think so. She took her paperweight with her."

The significance of that was as astounding to them as it had been when they had snooped through their previous female agent's belongings and found things that had obviously meant a great deal to Kate but had never shared them with her team until there had been no choice as they'd watched their boss pack them away in a box after her death.

It could only mean one thing as they'd seen Ziva alive and well only moments before, she was leaving.

Or was she running?

Tony moved his feet towards the now vacant desk and searched for anything that would tell him that she might be coming back, but he found nothing, nothing more than more mystery.

Tim made his way over to his side, his youthful face laced with bewilderment and worry. "You think she's been called back to Israel, Tony?"

"Nah," he replied with confidence, "She'd have told us."

"Maybe she's going on vacation." Tim responded hopefully.

"Nope, she'd have bragged about it. I reckon…"

"DiNozzo, my office, now."

Agent Gibbs ploughed past them and headed for the elevator fully expecting his senior agent to follow him – knowing that Tony would follow him. And follow him he did. By the time Gibbs had reached the metal doors, Tony was by his side bursting with questions.

Gibbs' quietly growled, "Wait." shut Tony up instantly and as the doors finally opened, Tony threw a look over his shoulder towards Tim that could only be received as one of fear, and as they stepped inside the enclosed six foot square metallic box, Tony's fear escalated tenfold as he watched his boss punch the close button, his snarl of impatience laced with a word that Tony very rarely heard fall from his pursed lips.

Seconds after the elevator began to move, Gibbs switched the emergency switch over and the metal tomb shuddered to a halt.

It was then, and only then, that Gibbs finally turned to face his sidekick, his agitation evident in blue eyes that sparked with temper. Unable to keep still, Gibbs rocked from foot to foot until eventually he spoke.

"I want you to get her back, Tony. I don't care how you do it. I don't care if you have to break every rule in the book. Fuck, I don't care if you have to follow her to the other side of the world. Just. Bring. Her. Back."

The passionate and very angry request floored the younger man as Tony watched and listened to Gibbs pour out what was as good as his heart and the sinking feeling that had hit his stomach before now gripped his insides for real.

Ziva had really gone and Tony knew that there would be no way in hell that Gibbs would tell him _why_ she had left at that point, so he was going to have to figure that one out on his own. And to hear his boss really swear, well, that in its self told a whole different story – a story that Tony desperately wanted to hear about some day. But probably not today, he reasoned as he watched Gibbs ooze anger before his very eyes.

Before Tony had a chance to ask anything more, Gibbs had switched the emergency back off and the elevator continued on its journey. But before the doors opened, Tony did manage to get one question in, the only question that had rolled through his mind since Gibbs had spoken. "Every rule, boss?"

Gibbs simply looked at him, his glittering blue eyes echoing the pain and fury that surged throughout his body before replying in a tone that meant even more than what he was silently revealing. "Every rule, Tony."

There was only one rule that Tony would have been referring to; Rule number 12 and Tony felt a buzz in his loins at the possibilities unfolding before him. Was it actually going to take breaking _the_ most important rule in Gibbs' book to bring Ziva back? Tony suddenly realized he was keen to find out. Getting Ziva in the sack had always teased Tony's psyche but he would never have dared whilst she was a fully fledged member of the team, and now Gibbs had given him the thumbs up to do what he needed to do to, just get her back.

Tony's life suddenly became very interesting.

When the elevator reached the ground floor, Gibbs stormed out as soon as the doors opened and Tony had to shout to ask his question. "Where are you going, boss?"

Gibbs' feet didn't stop as he threw over his shoulder, "To get coffee!"

Huffing with indignation Tony punched the button to go back up to his level, grousing to himself and to anybody within earshot who would listen – which happened to be nobody, "Great. He gets to have coffee and I get lumbered with finding the crazy Ninja chick."

But as Tony DiNozzo stepped out of the elevator on his own level, he shoved his hands in his pockets as though nothing out of the ordinary had just happened, but even he didn't know that his life was about to take a route that even he never expected.

All he had to do was find Ziva David, and then find out why she had pissed off the boss man so much. And then he had to bring her back from wherever she'd gone, using any means, fair or foul, and he was more than up for that challenge, even if he didn't really know what was at stake.

Tbc…


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for all the wonderful feedback. Much appreciated. And now on with the story...

Chapter two

Ziva watched the arrival of her partner from across the street as she sat sipping on a steaming hot cup of coffee with both hands wrapped around the large round cup, soaking up its heat into her chilled hands. She'd figured that he would have been there at least an hour ago and was a little disappointed and bothered that it had taken this long.

That she'd had to endure five cups of the expensive coffee, AND seen off two suitors that figured she was waiting to be picked up hadn't helped her frazzled mind, but, sitting there waiting had allowed her the time to sit and take stock of what had happened.

When she had found out that Amit Hadar was in America and looking for her it could only mean one thing to Ziva; Revenge. In her eyes he'd always been a loose cannon. It took a lot to scare Ziva, but this particular Mossad officer was one of the few that did. He was evil and merciless and would stop at nothing to get at his prey and Ziva had a huge hunch that she was next on his hit list.

Ziva's memory flitted back to a few months ago when Tony had killed her lover, Michael Rivkin. It had taken a long time for her to forgive him, but eventually, with the help of her father's betrayal, and her old nemesis, Amit Hadar filling in the blanks that ultimately led to the true reason for Michael's interest in her, Ziva had realized that Tony had only been looking out for her. If the scenario had been the other way around, Ziva would have done the same for him. She knew that now.

But for a while it had hurt - really hurt and she'd taken every ounce of her pain out on Tony, and he'd taken it all upon his broad shoulders, every miserable second of it, without complaint. The experience had changed both herself and Tony and had left behind a brooding awareness between them. Occasionally she would find Tony watching her solemnly and would watch him boldly in return; daring him to put into words what his eyes were telling her.

But Tony would never do that, of that she was sure. There was Gibbs' rule # 12 to consider for starters. And most men were afraid of her, she knew that, most of time, and she reveled in that knowledge. But sometimes – just sometimes, she wished men would see beyond the cool façade that was her and see the fragile woman that lie beneath it.

Only a privileged few had seen the true Ziva David. Michael had, Gibbs had, and Tony had, and, unfortunately, so had Amit Hadar, albeit a very long time ago. Even now, on the odd occasion that she saw him, Amit still loved to try and get beneath her skin, as well as get between her sheets, and she rebuffed him each and every time. Ziva wasn't interested in him, in any shape or form now.

But unfortunately he was still interested in her and took every opportunity to let her know the fact, whether it be with romance or with playful brute force, and now, Ziva feared that she had pushed Amit to his utmost limit.

Amit hadn't liked it when Ziva had almost broken his neck after she'd discovered her dead lover's betrayal, and as she remembered back she silently sniggered as she recalled leaving him with some handsome bruising around his throat. Now though, she was sorry she hadn't done what she'd wanted to do, and that was kill him. It was no more than he'd deserved after betraying her, and it was only because she'd needed information that she had reigned in her temper and allowed him to live.

And now she was going to live to regret it. Or maybe she wasn't. Either way she had no intention of finding out until she was ready to face him, but preferably _after_ she'd put a bullet through his head.

Or better still, his heart.

Tony silently cursed as he moved from Ziva's door and peered in through her window, but there was nothing to see. He considered breaking in, but thought better of it as he imagined himself stepping into her hall way only to come face to face with the lethal end of her gun, or worse still, Ziva in a really, really bad mood. Or maybe, he pondered, she'd even booby-trapped the whole place. Or maybe, he worried deeper still, somebody else had booby-trapped the whole place. Tony was completely in the dark as to why Ziva was running, but one thing he sure as hell did know was that it was down to him to find and bring her home, preferably in one piece, and alive.

Easier said than done when you're an ex member of the Mossad, especially when you're the daughter of the head of Mossad.

There was only one reason that would explain Ziva's sudden departure and that was because she was running from something, or someone. That she hadn't asked for help or back-up from her closest friends was worrying as well as bull-headed.

But then that was Ziva for you, the biggest bull-headed pain in the ass of them all.

tbc...


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the reviews guys. And now on we go...

Chapter three

Tony felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck. He was being watched, he was sure of it. He feigned nonchalance as he stuck his hands back in his pockets and strode away from Ziva's apartment block. He covertly scanned the buildings around him, even stopped to bend and tie his shoe lace as he delayed time to ponder on his next course of action. Seeing a café across the way, he decided to chill out there for a while and watch Ziva's place from a distance. And anyway, he was hungry. And he needed a bathroom, bad.

Ziva audibly gasped as she watched Tony make his way towards her. She ducked low and headed in a hurry towards the bathroom and hoped with all her heart that he was just stopping in for a take away coffee.

After he'd made a quick visit to the men's bathroom Tony strolled up to the counter and threw one of his classic grins at the portly Italian guy before him and he dug out his wallet. "Cappuccino, sweet and I'll take one of those nice looking iced buns you have there," he said, pointing to the tray of fancies. Paying up and taking his coffee and cake, Tony turned and glanced around for a vacant table. Spotting one that was empty but not yet cleared of its last occupant's crockery; he made his way over to it and slid his long body into the booth.

As he took a gratifying sip of his hot beverage and looked out of the window, he inwardly grinned when he realized that he'd gotten the perfect position to stake out Ziva's place. He took a giant, appreciative bite of his bun and watched the world pass by on the street outside his window as he quietly figured out his next move.

_Where would she be_? He wondered. _Where would she go_? He honestly didn't believe that she'd go back to Israel, and certainly not willingly. Ziva had firmly cut her ties to her home country long ago. There was nothing there for her now except her father, and she'd made it plain that she was in no hurry to see him again anytime soon.

Another possibility loomed in his mind; Mike Franks. Would she go to him for help if she were in trouble_? Was she even in trouble_? He mused to himself as he slowly devoured his cake and sipped on his cup of coffee.

Eventually, his gaze dropped to the table top and he grimaced as his eyes drifted across to the dirty crockery that still sat there, and then, suddenly, he noted that the coffee mug was half empty. After touching the side of it, he realized that it was still reasonably hot.

Someone had left in a hurry, and not so long ago.

But then as he took his mind back to his own entrance, he realized that no one had passed him by, coming in or going out. He picked the cup up and sniffed the coffee; Mocha, unsweetened; Ziva's usual choice. He glanced over at the waiter and found him steadily watching Tony as he wiped the cup in his hand a little longer than necessary.

Tony glanced towards the ladies room, and then back at the waiter, noticing that the man's steady gaze didn't leave him. But Tony was no stranger to ladies bathrooms and moments later, he didn't hesitate when he headed towards the door and went straight on in.

Three stalls, three closed doors, so which one was she in? He wondered. He pushed open the first and found nothing. It was the same with the second and then finally the third. He quietly swore. "Damn." He'd been certain that he'd find her hiding out and now he was back to square one.

But as he stepped back into the café, Tony suddenly had a thought. For a moment he'd forgotten who he was dealing with and with a dazzling smile to the waiter who was still watching him avidly, Tony stepped back into the gents. He hadn't taken any notice of the closed stall when he'd visited before and to find it still closed now sent his heart thumping with anticipation. Only Ziva would have the nerve to hide out in the men's room. And Kate.

"Give it up, Ziva; I know you're in there." He held his breath for a long moment.

Only silence greeted him so he tried again.

"I find it a bit disconcerting to know that you listened to me taking a whizz, Zee. There are some things a man doesn't like to share at such close quarters."

"It wasn't the whizz I minded, it was what you did _after _that I minded. You're an animal, DiNozzo."

_Eureka! He'd got her_.

Now all he had to do was keep her, and knowing Ziva as well as he did, Tony knew he was going to have his hands full keeping her by his side. One miniscule lapse on his part and she'd be gone. He couldn't lose her again. He didn't _dare_ lose her again; otherwise he'd have someone even worse after his balls.

Gibbs.

tbc...


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for the wonderful reviews guys. Much appreciated. Please note this chapter contains some content that some people may offence at. This was not my intent but was the only way I could write an Italian/American accent. I wanted it to be humorous and hope that is how it comes across to you.

And now on with the tale….

Chapter four

Tony waited patiently outside the men's room for a full minute before Ziva finally and reluctantly opened the door and stepped out to stand beside him. She looked at him coyly beneath her sooty eyelashes and murmured to his intent stare, "What are you going to do with me now, Tony?"

Tony shrugged, sticking his hands back in his pockets and crossing his ankles at the same time as he leaned against the door jamb, a stance that Ziva knew only too well. Tony was comfortable with himself and he'd found her without having to look too hard or too far. Maybe deep down this is what she'd really wanted; to be found. Or was it to be rescued? Ziva knew she was in deep, deep trouble and even though she was reluctant to accept help from any of her friends, especially Tony, she was quickly accepting that she needed them, whether she liked it or not.

And she certainly wasn't happy that she needed Tony.

But even so, she still had things to do; things to find out before she could ask for help, and having her trusty side-kick literally pasted to her side wasn't what she'd wanted right then. A plan began to form in her head and she smiled at Tony as though he'd won.

Tony grinned down at her, his success at locating her so quickly oozed from him in waves. "I guess I've got to take you back to the yard now, unless you have something else planned – that I should know about. Why are you here and not at work, Ziva? It's not like Gibbs to let you go on a week day. You got a dentist appointment, or something?" he queried.

Ziva grinned at him as she reached around him to push open the ladies door. "Or something. Do you mind if I visit the bathroom before we go, Tony?"

Tony's brow creased with puzzlement, but he did not move from his spot. "Ziva, you've been in the gents for at least a quarter hour. Why didn't you go then?"

Ziva pushed past him, her own features creasing in disgust as she made her way in to the ladies bathroom. "You have got to be kidding me, Tony. Men's bathrooms are among one of _the_ most disgusting places I've ever been."

Tony's, "Don't be long otherwise I'll come in and get you!" fell on deaf ears as the door slammed in his face.

When he turned around to lean back on the door jamb again, Tony came face to face with the café owner. "You notta gonna do her no harm are yo, mister? I call the policia." His stilted Italian/American almost made Tony chuckle, until he looked down at his hand and saw the small pointed vegetable knife tucked against his palm.

Tony really did chuckle as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his id badge. "No problems here, my friend. The nice lady in there," he tipped his head towards the door behind him, "is my partner, only she don't wanna go to work today."

The elderly owner nodded knowingly, "Ah, I see, I see. She gonna get fired from jobbe if she noah go to workee?"

Tony nodded, trying to remember how long he'd given her. More than long enough he'd figured as he gestured to the man watching him intently. "Gotta check she hasn't skipped out on me, otherwise it'll be me getting my ass fired instead of hers."

The old man chuckled as he too followed Tony inside the ladies room and as soon as he felt the breeze sweep across him from the open window, both Tony and the café owner stood looking up it in astonishment. Eventually it was the café owner who murmured quietly, "I think missy is one dead laydee."

"Dead is right, my friend. She damn well will be when I get my hands on her," growled Tony as he spun around and headed out after her, knowing that his pursuit was just about to become a hell of lot harder now that Ziva really was on the run, not only from whoever was after her in the first place, but now Tony too. And at that moment as he scanned the busy street outside, he hoped with all his heart that she was going to be in the only other place that he knew she'd probably hide.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five

Tony grimaced as he looked down at the phone's caller as it continued to ring in his hand. It was Gibbs. The one person he didn't want to speak to, and perversely, the one man that he needed to speak to. On a sigh he hit the answer button.

"Boss."

"Tell me you have her, DiNozzo."

Did he tell him that he'd had her for all of thirty seconds, or lie through his teeth? He went for a little of both. "I…er, lost her, boss."

You could have heard a pin drop at the silence that swooped over the tense moment. But it didn't stay silent for long. "You'd better have a good reason for screwing up, or, so help me; I'll come and kick your ass myself."

Did he tell him that she skipped out through a bathroom window, or did he lie through his teeth? This time he decided he'd lie. "I think I know where she's headed, boss. I'll have her back by nightfall."

A sharp, "You'd better," was the only response he got before silence ensued from the now dead phone. Tony slipped the phone into his pocket taking stock of where he was and where he was going to go next.

In truth, he didn't have a clue. He wasn't aware that Ziva had any close friends besides her co-workers, and he didn't think for one minute that she'd go to any of them. A boyfriend? Nah, she didn't have one of those either, of that he was reasonably certain.

Tony stood and watched the world go by him as he stood on the street corner but his eyes kept straying back to Ziva's apartment. Surely she wouldn't go there, would she? Nah. He dismissed the idea even quicker than he thought it.

But then he backtracked some and rethought the idea. Maybe she would, he surmised. He still wasn't sure of the reason why she was running and he slapped himself upside the head as he rebuffed himself for not getting more details when he had a chance. Maybe it was time he did that before he went any further.

Deciding he was going to wait around for a while, just to see if the crazy Ninja chick was stupid enough to go back to her own place, Tony hurried back inside the café. To say the café owner was surprised to see him was an understatement. His thick bushy eyebrows shot up almost to his hairline, and as Tony approached him his surprise was replaced by curiosity as he began pouring out another cup of coffee for him.

"You gonna hide out from the little laydee now?" he asked.

Tony grinned as he accepted the hot drink and handed him a bill. "Yep, guess I'm a sucker, huh?"

The older man chuckled as he waggled his finger from side to side as he answered him. "No, no, you a no sucker. This her favoreet place. She be back."

And with that comforting thought, Tony settled himself back into the same seat, pulled out his phone and rang the only person that seemed to know what the hell was going on.

"Boss, you going to tell me what's going on with Ziva, or have I got to carry on running around in the dark with my head up my ass?"


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks for the lovely feedback. Promise things will step up a gear over the next couple of chapters.

And on we go...

Chapter six

Ten minutes later Tony knew everything, and as he snapped his phone shut and slipped it back into his pocket he realized that he was now wasting his time waiting for her. There was no way in hell that she would risk going back to her place. Chances were that Hadar had already checked the place out.

"Come on," Tony murmured to himself, his worry etched upon his face for all to see. "Where are you, Zee? Where would you go?"

But even as he asked the questions he was pushing himself to his feet. He pondered for a full minute whether to wait for the guy that _was_ waiting for her, but then thought better of it. Tony would do better searching for her. He _needed _to search for her.

Now that Tony knew how much danger Ziva was in it was imperative that he found her before Hadar did. He wasn't going to let Ziva down in the same way that he'd failed Kate. Tony didn't think he could go through that level of loss again. He _wouldn't_ go through that again, ever, if he had his way. He'd gotten very fond of Ziva David in the relatively short time that he'd known her – really known her. He liked her sassiness. He liked her naivety. He liked her bravado. He liked…Hell, he just liked her, a lot.

Okay, so they'd had that one bad spell when he'd killed Michael Rivkin, her former lover. And now she'd managed to get herself into just about the exact same position again. Amit Hadar had been sent to America to assassinate a loose cannon, and the word on the wind was that he was intending to settle a few scores with Ziva David while he was at it.

The Washington DC cops had found the loose cannon, complete with a bullet through his forehead, so now he'd be after the other score. Luckily Ziva still had one true ally in Israel, her father. Eli David, head of Mossad. And even though Ziva had cut all ties from her former life, at the end of the day, Eli was still her only blood relation, no matter how entrenched in his lousy life he was.

As he stood outside the café door, Tony glanced at his watch; 7.00pm. What did he do now? Look somewhere? He didn't know where the hell to look. Or should he go home and regroup? At least at home he had his computer. Even though he'd met Hadar face to face quite some time ago, he was intrigued about him. Had he and Ziva been an item once? Hadar was just her type; handsome, skilled, mean and hot.

The man had oozed testosterone when they'd met. Not that Tony had noticed that, of course. But he'd seen how he was around women, including Ziva, even if she did protest too much when Hadar had got within three feet of her – apart from when she'd had her stranglehold on him. She could have killed him there and then, if she'd wanted to.

A pity she hadn't as it would have saved Tony a whole lot of hassle that he just somehow knew he was going to get into.

Again.

Finally deciding to go home, Tony left the café with a nod of thanks towards its owner and headed out and across the road and around the corner to where he'd left his car. Walking towards the shiny black number that he'd only purchased a couple of months before, his steps slowed as he neared it, his brow creasing in worry as he gave it the once over.

A sudden paranoia swept over him and he found himself hunkering down to check beneath it. Spotting nothing untoward and ignoring the curious gazes as people passed him, Tony grinned over his shoulder at them as he carefully slid his key into the door lock.

_So good so far_, he breathed as he swung open the door and took a critical look over the interior. Warily slipping into his seat, he put the key into the ignition, held his breath, closed his eyes tightly and turned, and heard nothing but the gratifying purr of the engine.

But then, what did he expect? Ziva wouldn't try to kill him – he hoped. And surely Hadar wouldn't know his car – would he? Nah. Tony gunned the engine, pulled his door shut and pulled out into the traffic.

There was no reason on Earth for Hadar to be watching him, no reason at all, especially after the way Ziva had treated him in Israel. Tony figured he was safe enough to keep on looking for her, and if he did come across Hadar, well; Hadar wouldn't be the first of Ziva's lovers to come out on the wrong side of Tony's wrath.

In the fifteen minutes it took to drive to his own neighborhood, Tony took the valuable time to run over his relationship with the former Mossad operative. Ziva was an enigma to him; hot one minute, cold the next. Feisty one second, and quiet a heartbeat later. But mostly she was a complete mystery to him. There had been many times when she appeared to come on to him, only to completely blow him off in the next instant. She drove him crazy.

As Tony pulled up outside his own apartment block he'd finally worked out just what Ziva David was about. She was a tease, and she loved being one, too.

'_Well_,' Tony thought as he bounded up his steps, '_I can handle a tease, but, can she handle me?'_

But the man that sat across the street in his car watching his arrival was having thoughts of his own, and they weren't about teasing.

Tbc…


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter seven

Tony knew someone was in his apartment as soon as he slid the key into the lock. Taking a second to get over that shock, he then took another second to formulate his plan. Did he creep in and surprise his unwelcome guest, or did he feign ignorance?

In the end, ignorance won allowing him to draw his gun and cock it ready, the sound masked as he threw his keys to the side before he made his way towards his lounge. A quick glance around as he passed through it and headed towards his kitchen revealed nothing. That only left the bathroom and the bedroom.

The fact that the bedroom door was only ajar gave him his answer. Tony always shut his bedroom door. It was a habit he'd formed after seeing numerous films on house fires, and learning that those which had their doors closed suffered significantly less damage to their belongings.

That reason as well as the fact that his bedroom was a pigsty.

Disregarding his initial idea of ignorant bliss, Tony stopped before the bedroom door, took a deep shuddering breath and slowly pushed it open. The room was bathed by the soft glow of his bedside lamp casting shadows across the woman that sat cross-legged in the middle of his bed. And now that he'd seen just who it was that had broken into his home, Tony really wasn't that surprised.

He wasn't even surprised to see Ziva sitting serenely cleaning her gun as she sat on his bed, in his bedroom. What Tony really found surreal was that she looked completely at ease and at home in nothing more than her white panties and vest as she bent her head, totally engrossed in her task.

Taking a quick glance around the room Tony became aware that she'd had plenty of time to snoop through his personal space, a thought that suddenly made him inwardly shudder as he envisioned her finding his stash of girlie magazines under the bed. It wasn't so much her knowing that he had magazines, it was her realizing that he'd obviously bluffed on too many occasions about the women that he'd clearly not had. A man with a healthy sex life did not have a mountain of porn under his bed.

Her quiet, "What took you so long, Tony? I thought you'd know that I'd hide out in your place. You must be lacking."

Tony tucked away his gun as he stepped further into the room. "The word is slacking, Ziva, and why the hell are you sitting on my bed in your underwear?"

Ziva shrugged, uncaring at Tony's somewhat nervous tone. "My clothes got dirty climbing through that grubby window. I put your dirty laundry in with mine. You really are a slob, Tony. Your dirty clothes were all over the place."

Tony could only blink stupidly at her as she finally finished working on her weapon and snapped it back into complete mode, ready for action.

"You…you did my laundry?" he stuttered, heat rising up his neck to color his cheeks.

"I did," Ziva chuckled, more than amused at his discomfort and knowing why he was blushing right down to his roots. Was it the jockey shorts that had the caption, 'Warning Choking Hazard ', or was it the red satin ones that had the infamous licking tongue logo all over them? Either way, Ziva hadn't had such a giggle in a long time.

Seeing her partner looking so uncomfortable as he watched her move towards him, not only from now knowing his fetish for 'colorful' underwear, but realizing just what she was revealing to him through her own cotton underwear made Ziva's breath hitch for a moment, but she quickly swallowed the sensation.

Gently patting his cheek as Tony swallowed convulsively, Ziva gently cooed. "Its okay, Tony, your…secret is safe with me."

Tony didn't move as she stepped behind him and reached for the dressing gown that hung behind his door.

'_Now she covers up'_ he thought testily as he finally got a grip on himself and his rampant emotions and turned to grill her. "Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on, Ziva? I mean, am I likely to get my ass blown from here to Kingdom Come any minute now, or have you got a plan in mind that'll save both our asses?"

Ziva shrugged as she carried on through to his kitchen and started opening and closing doors as she absently surveyed his bare cupboards. "It's my ass he's after, Tony, not yours, and do not worry, I will save you."

As she made to delve into his refrigerator, exasperation surged through him and Tony tugged on her arm to bring her back to look at the seriousness etched upon his worried face. "Damn it, Ziva, I can save myself, but the boss has given me the job of watching your back and what I'd really like to know, is why?"

Ziva sighed and looked away, her face softening with resignation. Tony deserved to know about her past with Hadar, especially now that he too was in the firing line if he got in the way of Hadar's true target. She shouldn't have teased him when they'd last come face to face. But damn it, he'd lied to her, and he'd sided with her father when her father should have sided with his last and only living relative. Ziva would never forgive either of them for that.

But that was neither here nor there right now. Her life was in great danger and the man that stood in front of her waiting for an explanation was clearly in no hurry to let the discussion go. Turning her face back to his, Ziva murmured. "Order in Chinese and I'll tell you everything you want to know."

Clearly taken aback at how easily he'd won, Tony's eyes never left hers as he slipped out his mobile and hit the speed dial before pressing it up against his ear. His eyes still never left hers as he drummed out his usual order, hastily adding 'times two' on the end.

As soon as he'd clicked the phone shut, Ziva spun away from him and began rooting through his cupboards again. "Do you have any wine? I could really do with a drink right now."

Struggling to ignore her curves as she bent and twisted around in his tiny kitchen, Tony blinked away the temptation, sighed dramatically to lighten the moment and spun on his heels. "I'll nip down to the corner shop and pick up a case or two. I think I see a long night ahead."

Ziva followed him back into his living area as a nervousness that she really did not want her partner to witness, spread through her loins. She valiantly tried to hide it by pulling the bathrobe around her, tugging on the belt. "That's a good idea; I'll just…ummm…"

She stalled just a fraction too long, but it was long enough for Tony to stop as he made to step out of the door. Walking quietly back over to her as she stood forlornly in the middle of the room, Tony gently tilted her face up so that she could see his eyes.

"Take a bath, Ziva; I'll be gone no more than ten minutes tops. Relax, enjoy and I'll be back to scrub your back, if you want me to. But if you don't, that's okay. I can give you a massage after instead. You're wired tighter than a bow, Ziva. You're safe here. You're safe with me. Just trust me, okay?"

Lost in the smoky emerald gaze, Ziva could only nod and whisper, her smile somehow coy and seductive at the same time. "Will you massage my feet, Tony? I love to have my feet massaged," she cooed.

Tony could only chuckle as he released her chin and headed back towards the door. "I'll massage every tiny pinky if it'll make you happy, Ziva. Lock the door after me and remember to take your gun to the bathroom with you."

And then he was gone and it was a long, silent, tense moment as Ziva listened to her own heartbeat as it pounded in her ears. But barely a minute passed before she moved to lock the door and then she determinedly turned on her toes and headed towards the bathroom. Her muttered, "What in the world is wrong with you, you stupid woman. It's only Tony. Your partner. Your buddy. Your tormentor. Your…"

Ziva paused as she put the plug into the bath and turned on the taps. Tipping a healthy dose of Tony's expensive bath oil in, Ziva pondered over the last word that hovered on the tip of her tongue.

'_Fantasy_'

A wave of relief washed over her as she set free the one word that she would never reveal to the man who was currently doing his utmost to make her happy. She was going to have to be very careful and not get drunk on the wine that Tony had run out to purchase, as she was inclined to say and do things that she would never even consider when sober.

But she'd seen the depth of longing in Tony's eyes, too, and as she stripped off her minimal clothes and stepped into the steaming bath, she allowed herself a few private moments of pleasure to think about him. Ziva knew that it wouldn't take much encouragement for Tony to overstep his working ethics and take their brooding relationship to its natural conclusion, but she was afraid of doing so.

She was just too afraid of losing Tony just like she had lost so many others, and all in the worst way possible; in death.

And then there was Gibbs. Ziva groaned as she imagined just what he'd say and do if they overstepped his golden rule.

Lastly, there was the worst scenario of them all; herself. She knew that she was pushy, forthright, aggressive, and frankly, she could be downright scary. It took a special man to tame her enough to court her. It took an even stronger man to match her in bed. To say that she was wild was an understatement. Ziva smirked as she plunged her sponge into the soapy suds and began to briskly rub them over her body.

She had just pulled the plug when she heard the front door slam, Tony's cheery, 'Only me!' seeping through the bathroom door, clearly letting her know that both he and she were safe. Her responding and somewhat more cheerful, 'I'll be right out!' gave him the same sense of security and barely five minutes later, the two friends were curled up either end of Tony's large sofa devouring their food, sipping on the delicious wine that Tony had brought and both completely engrossed in one of Tony's all time favorite movies; Terminator.

Life, right then, for the two NCIS agents was as good as it could possibly get and Hadar was temporarily forgotten as even Hadar wouldn't be stupid enough to go after Ziva at night whilst she was holed up with Tony DiNozzo.

But despite the reprieve, they were both acutely aware of another impending problem; the sleeping arrangements.

Just who was going to get the sofa at the end of the evening? Were they even going to bother with the sofa by the end of the evening?

Both hoped not.

Tbc…


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter eight

Tony studied the woman that lay prone up the other end of his sofa, her small, delicate foot resting upon his thigh as he slowly wove his magic on it. He grinned as a moan left her lips and watched with amusement as her arm fell off the sofa and her head lolled back.

To say that Ziva David was tiddly was an understatement. But then she was no more tiddly than he was. Tony had been meaning to grill her about why Hadar wanted her ass but the evening had been so nice, so…unexpected that he didn't want to disrupt it.

That he wanted to sleep with her was a no brainer, and seeing her so vulnerable, so adorably drunk had only served to bring out the more basic urges in him. He studied what he could see of her in the rosy lamp light and liked what he saw. Slender feet that she clearly took great care of. Trim ankles that led to long, lithe legs that were agonizingly bare to just above her knees. There wasn't a trace of stubble upon them and he hazarded a guess that she'd taken advantage of his razor whilst she'd been in the bath.

Tony shifted as that little gem flitted through his mind; her in his bath tub, naked, soapy, soft and as hot as hell. He squeezed her ankle harder than he meant to and Ziva whimpered in protest. His whispered, 'sorry' was ignored and he pulled her other foot up onto his thigh and began the same treatment that its mate had enjoyed.

Eventually the room went quiet – too quiet and Tony realized that his guest had fallen asleep. He whispered her name softly, "Ziva?" but got no response. He tried again, but had the same response; Nothing.

Tony watched her for a while, enjoying seeing her when all her defenses were down. She was a beautiful woman even when she was kicking the crap out of someone, or giving him hell over some stupid thing. But seeing her asleep, Tony saw a whole different aspect of her and it made him feel things that he normally kept well and truly quenched.

He wanted her; it was as simple as that. He wanted to pick her up, carry her to his bed and make slow, mind-blowing love to her. Hell, she didn't even have to be awake! He'd still make it good for her; he had the talent, and the time to give her the full DiNozzo treatment.

All he had to do was pick her up.

Could he do it?

Would she even let him?

_Hell, did he dare?_

"Come to bed with me, Ziva." He whispered to her, watching her face for any sign that would tell him that she had heard him.

"I want to take my bathrobe off you and kiss you everywhere. Would you let me do that, Ziva? Would you let me make love to you?" he whispered.

A muffled snore was his only answer and he was momentarily sorry that she hadn't heard him. That somehow he was saved from facing her in the cold light of day with Ziva knowing how he really felt about her. And then a tiny part of him wished she had heard him and put them both out of their miseries.

But then again, never being able to say those words to her ever again hurt his heart more than he cared to admit to himself. Maybe after all this was over and Hadar was either dead or in prison for the rest of his life, maybe he would sit Ziva down and have a heart to heart with her.

And maybe, if he was really lucky, she wouldn't laugh in his face.

Gently, Tony traced a soft path along her silky calf, marveling at not only the texture of her olive skin, but having the opportunity to do so. Chances were, there would never be another moment like this in their lives and Tony just wanted a little taste of something that he may never have again.

Ziva shifted in her sleep and Tony halted his hand and his breath as her leg moved beneath his fingers, but he realized that she wasn't pulling away from him. Rather, she made to move closer to his hand.

His heart thumped in his chest at the revelation, but even so, he still whispered her name to make sure she was still out for the count. His pulse slowed when he was assured that she was still asleep.

His hand was trembling when he laid it upon her skin once more, but as much as he wanted to explore, he found he'd lost his nerve. Putting his hand back upon his own lap, Tony pondered on the next step. Moments later he decided.

He was going to carry her to his bed, and if she woke and begged him to stay with her, then, well, fine, he would get his wish.

And if she was still asleep when he put her into his bed, then he guessed that answered that dilemma too. No way did a DiNozzo take advantage of a sleeping and tipsy woman, especially not when they could kill him with just one snap of their fingers. But as Tony stood and swung Ziva into his arms, he could have screamed to the heavens as his phone rang. Ziva was awake in an instant, her eyes searching his as she came to realize just where she was.

Tony's explanation of, "I was taking you to bed, Zee," was met with eyes as dark as midnight, suspicion widening them further at his suggestive remark.

Tony released her legs as she pushed against him, demanding to be let down. Ziva straightened her nightwear, her protest overriding the constant jangle of the telephone that was relentlessly ringing. "I'll just bet you were, DiNozzo. Aren't I lucky that I woke up before you managed to seduce me?"

To cover his embarrassment at almost being caught, Tony blustered his way out of the tricky moment in the only way he knew how; with humor. "You wish, Miss Dav-eeed. I'll have you know that every woman that I have taken to my bed, has been more than thrilled to have been there."

At the same time that Ziva went to respond, Tony held up his finger to silence her as he lifted the offending phone to his ear. "Yes, boss. Kinda late for you to be ringing, we were just off to bed."

Ziva ignored the sadistic grin that split Tony's face from ear to ear and instead stomped off to the bathroom, slamming the door in her wake.

Tony grimaced at the echoing sound and tried to ignore the low chuckle on the other end of the line. "Having problems, DiNozzo?"

"Nothing I can't handle, boss."

"I don't want you to handle her, DiNozzo. I want you to keep your mind on the fact that someone is out there trying to kill her!"

"I know that, boss, but you know how women get…?"

The indignant screech that rented through the door of the bathroom was heard on the other end of the line too and Gibbs laughed with joy at the ridiculous predicament his most senior field agent had gotten himself into.

Tony quickly back-tracked, "What I mean is boss is, that we're doing okay. Ziva was just off to my bed, alone, and I was about to hit the sofa. Did you ring us at this ungodly hour for any particular reason, boss?"

Gibbs chuckled again and said, "Nope, just checking you were still alive, Tony. Just checking you were still alive. 'Night."

Tony stared at the phone in his hand with disbelief and annoyance. Now he had no way of sleeping in his own bed, let alone the opportunity of getting down and dirty with his house guest. He stared at the sofa with disgust. Had it been so long ago that he'd thought he'd found nirvana in that very same place?

He watched warily as Ziva stepped out of the bathroom, gave him one rather disgusted glance over her shoulder before entering his bedroom, slamming the door behind her, non-to-gently.

Tony winced at the sound, the noise shattering the last of his sanity, and as he stomped towards the bathroom to go through his own nightly ritual, he glared at the bedroom door across the way and growled loud enough for her to hear, "If only you knew what you were going to miss, Zee-va!"

His own slamming of the bathroom door only resulted on hearing a throaty, ridiculing chuckle from the Israeli now tucked up in his bed and a thump or two from the other side of the wall from his neighbor's who had obviously had enough of the ruckus coming from his place.

"Yeah, yeah!" He groused to the tiled wall. "Why the hell shouldn't you be having a crappy night like me?"

Tony scrubbed his teeth, visited the loo, scowled at his reflection as he washed his hands, pondered over his complete and utter failure, grabbed a couple of big bath towels to use as blankets because there was no way in hell he was going into his bedroom to get the throw he had stashed in there, and then finally sulked his way back to his sofa, wishing that he'd spent a few more bucks and bought the sofa-bed that had originally beckoned him.

But no, he'd wanted the luxurious corner unit in hot red to go with his black/grey/chrome décor, and as he lay down and arranged the towels just so, Tony figured that he could have been in a worse situation. It took him a little while to think about a worse place while he tried to nod off, but as he flipped over and hit his knees on the sofa back, he really couldn't think of one, other than Ducky's morgue table.

Tbc…


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter nine

Ziva studied her partners features which were not only shadowed in the room's dawn light, but were now covered with a healthy dose of stubble, too. Tony lay on his back with his naked, hairy legs akimbo, the towels draped haphazardly between them as though they were there just to cover up his modesty.

His chest was bare apart from the dark mass of hair that was liberally covering it and she watched it rise and fall with his even breathing, her own breath hitching as she rode them with an emotion that threatened to strangle her .She could see that he wasn't entirely naked, spotting the neon pink band of his boxer shorts beneath the towel. Ziva threw him an affectionate smile in the dimness, suddenly glad that he wasn't awake to witness her perusal of his surprisingly well toned body.

But then the smile dropped from her features to be replaced by one of worry and regret. Tony was doing so much for her without even realizing just how much danger they were really in. Hadar would not hesitate to kill them both just to get at her and she really did not want to take the chance of losing Tony, too. He meant more to her than she cared to admit and she refused to acknowledge the attraction between them for that very reason. Every man she had loved had died and Tony meant too much to her to risk him, too. She had to leave him behind; she simply had to, for both their sakes.

Ziva quietly picked up the back pack that she had left on the coffee table that was still littered with their late night feast and tip toed towards the front door. She held her breath as she slid the two bolts back softly and grimaced when the catch clicked as she turned it. She stopped and listened but breathed a sigh of relief when it became clear that Tony had not heard it.

She was almost there; almost free. Ziva had never tried to be so quiet in her entire life. She was scared for her own life, but she was absolutely petrified for Tony's. She could not let him down. She simply could not. She would not.

Holding her breath again as she slipped silently through the open door, Ziva toyed with how to close it without a sound. Realizing that there really was no way that she could, she decided to leave it ajar. Not the safest plan in the world, but it was her only way of securing her escape.

So intent on being as quiet as a mouse, Ziva hadn't heard the feint footfall approaching. But she did hear the unmistakable sound of a trigger being cocked behind her and Hadar's quiet voice laced with irksome glee at catching her without much hassle.

"I thought I'd let you have your last night with your boyfriend, Ziva, before I killed you. A pity that you didn't want to spend it with me, but I quite understand, after all, I've enjoyed your body many times already, haven't I, Ziva? Do you think it was as good for him as it had been for me?"

Without bothering to turn around, Ziva murmured, hoping and praying that the man inside was still sleeping, "Actually, Amit, I wouldn't know. You always managed to send me off to sleep whenever you touched me."

Hadar chuckled at the blatant lie and saw it for what it was; pure bluster. For the relatively short time they'd been an item, the pair of them had scorched the sheets. Ziva was a wild lover, but he was even wilder still. They explored 'everything'. When the pair of them had got down and dirty, nothing stopped them, nothing.

And then he'd betrayed her. It hadn't been a major transgression, but it had pissed Ziva off majorly. She'd dumped him quicker than a hot grenade and he hadn't forgiven her, ever, for that, and then had come the humiliation on her final visit home. That she'd pulled a bruising stranglehold in front of ALL his work comrades and had Eli David laughing in his face for it had been the last straw for him. He wanted pay back. He wanted to hurt her.

But first he wanted to humiliate her and the only way he knew how to do that was with what they knew best; wild sex, only this time he was going to take it a step further. He was going to make Ziva hurt as well.

"Well, I'll have to see what I can do about you nodding off. Turn around and put this on."

Reluctantly Ziva twisted her body, spotting the crash helmet in his out-stretched hand and she inwardly moaned. God, no, if he got her onto the motorbike, wherever it was hiding, she was a goner for sure. All she had to do was wake Tony. It hadn't been what she wanted to do, but now she realized that she had no choice. She needed him, more than ever, but how was she going to wake him in time to save her and not get them both killed?

Tbc….


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter ten

Tony started at the roar of a motorbike and sat bolt upright on his not-so-comfortable-to-sleep-on sofa. His scant covering pooled in his lap and for a brief moment he was relieved. His dream had been explicit to say the very least and he didn't want his house guest to see him so aroused, because she would instantly guess that he'd been dreaming about her – again.

Ziva. Momentarily disorientated, Tony ran his hands through his hair and pushed himself to his feet. He didn't bother with politeness and just barged his way into his own bedroom. He didn't know whether to be surprised or not, at not seeing her curled up in his bed. Sure, he wanted to see her there just for the poor joy of watching her sleep, but damn it, to not find her there made his insides turn to ice.

Springing back into the lounge, he banged the bathroom door and called her name. "Ziva, are you in there?"

When only silence greeted him, fear gripped his soul. Heedless of his attire, Tony ran to the front door, stopping short when he found it open and his gut twisted with unease. Warily he stepped through it, carelessly slinging one of the towels that he still gripped in his hand around his waist. He stared up and down the quiet street; still too early for normal human beings to be about, which is why the motorbike had given him such a start.

The motorbike. Now he knew why it had been so loud. It had been for his benefit, telling him in no uncertain terms that Ziva had gone. That Amit Hadar had got his woman.

The expletive that left Tony's mouth was not for the feint hearted to hear. Hadar had got her, he'd really got her, and from right under his nose, too.

God, Gibbs was going to have a real hissy fit when he told him the news. Tony swore again as he hurried back inside, slamming the front door as he went. 'Fuck the neighbors!' he groused as he stomped to his find his pants; digging out his phone to make the dreaded call.

Gibbs picked up on the 3rd ring. "You lost her, didn't you, DiNozzo?"

"Sorry, boss."

"She escape, or did he get to her?" The silence was heavy and loaded with a guilt that Gibbs didn't need to see. "Tony?"

"Both, I think, boss."

"You think! Either she escaped or he got her. Which is it, Tony?"

"I think she escaped from my place and he got her outside."

Another uncomfortable silence fell between them until Gibbs gained the courage to ask the inevitable. "She's dead?"

Realizing what he'd said, Tony hastened to reassure his mentor. "Oh, no, no, boss. I heard a motorbike roar off. I think she was probably forced to take a ride."

"Where, DiNozzo?"

"I…I don't know, boss, I was asleep."

"I meant, which way did they go?" Gibbs snapped, letting Tony know that his moment of compassion was over and now he was busting his ass for letting Ziva get away from him, again.

Tony wracked his brains for a moment before heading over to his window and tried to remember the sound of the motorbike and its heading. He envisioned the motorbike tearing off, and then how long it took before it stepped up a gear, following its route in his mind's eye until he knew for sure which way it went.

"North, boss. It went North and then turned Westwards."

"Get McGee up and meet me at the office. And DiNozzo, be prepared for the biggest smack of your life!"

Tony winced as he clicked shut the phone, almost feeling the hand whacking the back of his head. God, how could he been so stupid? He should have stayed with her. He should have rigged the door so that he'd know when she opened it. He should have…

He should have…

Oh, God, he should have saved her.

Tbc…..


	11. Chapter 11

An extra one today as chaoter ten was short. There are longer ones coming up, I promise. Thanks for reading and reviewing :)

Chapter eleven

Gibbs swept into the bull pen like a man possessed. "Tell me you followed them, McGee." Skidding to a halt in front of the big screen he waited for McGee to give him some good news. He didn't acknowledge the other member of the team coming to a stand behind him, but he knew he was there. He hadn't given Tony the expected slap, but was aware that the younger man was on tender hooks waiting for it.

Tony knew he was going to get one at some point, figuring that Gibbs was just biding his time for it to come when he least was least expecting it. Gibbs enjoyed the perverse power he had over his team, but deep down he suspected that they all knew that it was really a show of affection for them all. Even so, Tony was still going to get one hell of a smack at some point, just not yet. They had to find Ziva first and he struggled to concentrate on the screen, his need to burn rubber and kill Hadar making him restless, agitated, and damned angry.

A series of images flicked up on the screen before them and McGee began to reel off what they were seeing.

"Lucky for us, Tony's neighborhood has a camera on practically every corner and we were able to track Hadar's bike for some distance before we…"

"Don't tell me you lost him, McGee. I do not want to hear that you lost him," Gibbs cut in with a shout. Spinning away and plunking himself down behind his desk, he continued. "I want you to check all the cameras within a two mile radius of the last sighting and pick him up again. And then keep doing that until we find them."

"But that's gonna take…"

"You'd better get started then, hadn't you, McGee?"

McGee didn't need any more prompting and slipped behind his own desk and started on the laborious job he'd been saddled with. It was going to take him hours, but then again, this was for Ziva and for her he'd spend the next week looking if he had to.

Grabbing his gun and badge from the drawer, Gibbs signaled to Tony to do the same and began to head out. "You're with me, DiNozzo. We'll be at the last sighting registered and then you're going to guide us from there with what you find from then on, Tim. Don't let us down."

Tim's, "I won't, boss." Fell on deaf ears as he watched the two men pile into the elevator. All three men were on a mission, a mission that meant more to them all than just another job. This was Ziva's life they were trying to save, a woman that had entrenched herself in all their lives. Tim hoped with all his heart that they weren't too late to find her. And with that uppermost in his mind, he set to work.

tbc...


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter twelve

The two men sat in the car staring at the camera, both desperately waiting for the call to come from their work comrade. It had been 45 long minutes of tense, telling silence. Tony glanced at his boss for the hundredth time with the apology hovering on the tip of his tongue, only to quickly be replaced by cowardice at not being able to articulate that apology. But eventually Tony knew he had to say something.

"Boss…" he started.

"Shut up, DiNozzo, I don't want to hear it."

"Sorry, boss, I just…"

And finally, it was then that Gibbs turned his head to look at the man beside him. A long look, and on seeing the younger man's eyes full of apology, fear, trepidation, and strangely, the one emotion that Gibbs did not want to see, loss, he could only relent and tell him what he needed to hear, his own antsy anger and disappointment petering out with the knowledge that they were dealing with Ziva David, who was a force all on her own.

"It wasn't your fault, Tony. The cagey broad was a Mossad assassin and if she didn't want to be seen or heard, then you had no hope in hell of knowing what she'd do, either." And then with a blast of impatience he hit the steering wheel hard with the palm of his hand. "Come on, McGee, what the hell's keeping you, dammit?"

Tony struggled to keep silent figuring that Gibbs knew that there was a camera on practically every corner all over the city. Tim would have to been looking through hundreds of footage and he could only thank God that Gibbs hadn't given him the tedious job as punishment.

But then he thought about another scenario that could be even worse. Kate's moment of death flashed though his mind, only this time it was Ziva's beautiful face that he saw. It was Ziva that now sported the horrible, red mark in the centre of her forehead that had ended her life in less time than a heartbeat.

Tony quietly moaned, closing his eyes as he tried to block out the vivid memory. Gibbs' quiet murmur of, 'Stop it, Tony,' beside him couldn't dispel the pain that had encased his heart but Tim's excited voice quickly snapped him back to the present.

"I've got them, boss! He had me running around in circles for a while but I've finally found where he's really headed to; a disused trailer park out by Rock Creek Park. I'm almost certain they're holed up there, boss. I'll meet you there ASAP!"

Gunning the engine and squealing from the curb, Gibbs thanked the Heavens for giving him such a brilliantly minded and dedicated agent. "Good job, Tim. We'll wait for you before we go in."

Tony's heart began to pound in his chest with the same fear that had reduced him to a mumbling wreck. But now added excitement mixed in with the fear had him gripped by the throat and he began to silently pray for a happy ending.

He wanted Ziva alive and well. He wanted Ziva teasing and tormenting him just like she always did on a daily basis.

God, he just wanted Ziva, period.

Tony was somewhat sorry that he hadn't gotten the opportunity to overstep Gibbs' rule # 12. He would have dearly liked to have found out if the chemistry that constantly sizzled between the two of them was down to an underlying attraction that was only curbed by that damned rule, or if they truly were meant to be.

Tony suddenly wanted to know if the two of them could make it together and taking a cautious look at the men who was currently trying to get to his goal without killing an innocent passerby, Tony dared to ask, "Boss, about Ziva."

Gibbs barely spared him a glance as he swung off the highway at break-neck speed. "What about her?"

"Remember you gave me permission to get her back, whatever it took?"

Instantly Gibbs knew what his side-kick was asking him. He wanted to know if he could still court Ziva David even if they got her back in one piece.

"I remember," he answered cautiously.

"Well, I wondered if you would be pissed if I asked Ziva out on a date."

Gibbs considered Tony's request as he began to slow when he pulled off the side road finally coming to a stop near a group of trees that shielded them from what lay beyond.

Glancing around to make sure they weren't being observed or followed, Gibbs finally gave Tony his full attention.

"How long has it been going on, this…attraction to Ziva, Tony?" he asked quietly.

Tony looked out of the window as he considered Gibbs' question. When had it all started? When had he begun to see Ziva as more than a fellow co-worker? When had he noticed her gorgeous, deep, compassionate, chocolate brown eyes, her long and luxuriously finger-tempting hair? Her lithe, fit and toned body?

God, her ass! Her breasts! Her excited muskiness whenever she got in his face!

Feeling his body heat with desire he squirmed in his seat to hide his traitorous reaction to the woman overtaking his senses. Taking a tentative look at the man waiting patiently for an answer beside him, Tony merely shrugged his answer to him. He didn't know when it had started.

If he was honest with himself, it had probably been from the moment he met her. But it had really escalated when Rivkin had come on the scene. His jealousy over the man that he had ultimately killed had brought home that his feelings for Ziva were becoming more than brotherly concern.

For a brief time after he'd gunned Rivkin down, Ziva had hated his guts. But beneath that hate had been a pain that for a while he hadn't recognized, but eventually he had come to understand what it had meant. He had hurt her, but she had hurt because she hadn't wanted to admit that she cared for him. Ziva hated being vulnerable to anyone. Dangling Rivkin in front of Tony's nose had been her way of hiding behind her true feelings, and whilst she did have misplaced feelings for Rivkin, they had served the purpose of dampening what was happening to her heart; that she was falling hard for her work colleague.

Ziva knew only too well that she was going to have to do a good job of covering up those emotions in front of Gibbs, but occasionally, when Tony did something to either piss her off, or completely the opposite, be really nice to her, she let those carefully hidden feelings show, whether they be in anger or pleasure. Tony had watched those same feelings develop over time, and now he felt the time was right to step their relationship up a gear, and that meant dating her.

The crunch of wheels on gravel halted any further discussion on matters of the romantic heart as the two men heard Tim's car pull in behind them. Getting out, Tim made his way to their car and quietly slipped into the back seat for instructions.

"Hell, Tim, you must have been doing near on 100 to have gotten here so quick!" Gibbs snarled as he twisted in his seat to look at the youngest member of his team.

Blushing pink, Tim didn't even bother denying his foolhardiness."I figured Ziva wouldn't appreciate me dawdling, boss."

Gibbs relented, knowing that he would have done the same thing if it had been him doing the make-up time. "Yeah, well, you're here in one piece, so I guess that's something." As if in tandem, the threesome all piled out of the car and closed the doors quietly, then suddenly, the situation at hand became all too real for the three men as they each pulled out their weapons.

Out there somewhere beyond the trees was Ziva David. Whether she was dead or alive, none of them knew. That Amit hadn't just shot her at Tony's left the only smidgen of hope they'd had to focus on. But it didn't answer the question to 'why' he had brought her out here. Their best guess was that he was going to torture her. Hadar was sadistic enough to do that to Ziva, just for the sheer joy of it. And as she was ex-Mossad, Ziva's pain tolerance was higher than most women. But at the end of the day, Ziva was a woman and could only tolerate so much. What he could be doing to her didn't bear thinking about. All they could hope for was that they were in time to save her from the worst of what he had planned, and that was ultimately a deliberately fatal bullet.

tbc...


	13. Chapter 13

Thanks for the reviews. Be warned for this chapter. Rape scene. Not too graphic, but not a pretty image

Chapter thirteen

Ziva's body shook uncontrollably with fear and pain as she lay prone on the bare mattress. Her wrists and ankles were tied to each corner of the bed's framework, the cold draught of the broken window adding to her misery as it swept against her naked body making her numerous injuries sting with the cold.

The powerful man prowled restlessly around the room, uneasily glancing out of the dirty and broken windows waiting for the movements that he would eventually surely see. Hadar hadn't any doubt that Ziva's co-workers would find them. He knew they would no matter how much effort he made to escape the cameras that had plagued his route out of town. He had turned this way and that to dodge the all-knowing eyes of the city and he didn't venture out of it until he'd been relatively certain that he'd evaded them.

But even so, he still waited for them to pop up out of the undergrowth surrounding the disused site, as he knew they would, eventually. Ziva's groan pulled his attention back towards the bed and he grinned evilly at the woman he'd enjoyed raping twice so far, and it would be a third as soon as his spent libido kicked back into gear.

In between each violation he had reveled in piercing her skin at strategic points, watching with macabre relish as she screamed and writhed against him as he sat astride her buttocks pushing the lethal pointed dagger deep enough to make her bleed. The dirty mattress was dotted with a dozen small pools of blood where he'd stuck her, plus those hidden beneath her body from the first time he'd had her. She'd been face up to begin with but he found he couldn't stand seeing the hatred in her eyes and had flipped her over before he plundered and abused her body again.

Even so, he was really looking forward to seeing the biggest blood pool, when he finally slit her throat from ear to ear. Hadar knew his time was running out, he could feel it in his gut. But he wasn't going to kill her just yet. He was still having too much fun with his victim. He just wanted one more time with her, just one more.

Unable to see him because of the mass of tangled hair that she couldn't shift from the side of her face no matter how hard she tried, Ziva could only glimpse shadows of her tormenter. Why didn't he just kill her and be done with her? Why was he doing this to her? They had been friends once, red hot lovers for a while, but surely she didn't deserve this level of hatred from him. What had she done to evoke such abhorrence?

"Why, Amit?" she croaked, her voice hoarse from dryness and screaming, unspent tears filled her pain—filled eyes. "Why are you doing this to me?"

Amit Hadar chuckled as he came and sat beside her and pulled the hair from her face as he answered. "You disrespected me, Ziva. Not once, but twice, and for that you must pay. You made me a laughing stock in Israel and now I cannot go home to the country that I love."

Ziva knew instantly of the times she had shamed him. It was just not the thing done to an Israeli, especially if it was a woman shaming a man. It was tantamount to murder, no matter who was to blame.

But even so, why didn't he just kill her? Anything would be better than this constant torture. She wasn't too bothered about the physical wounds as they would eventually heal, her scars becoming more of the many that she already had.

But the vicious raping was going to leave scars of another nature. He was deliberately ruining her for any other man, and as she felt him run a finger down the middle of her spine, Ziva realized she was about to be subjected to another session of brutality, but in her heart, she knew that this would be the last time. Hadar's time was running out.

The tears sprung from her eyes as she squeezed them shut and waited for the inevitable, her prayers the only thing getting her through the next ten minutes or so.

_Please, please help me, Tony, Gibbs. Please come and get me, please, please, please hurry._

And as Amit Hadar began to violate Ziva David for the very last time with every ounce of his fuming hatred, Ziva could only scream as though her lungs would burst as he grabbed a fistful of her long hair and yanked it back to heighten his own sadistic pleasure, pressing the sharp edge of his knife against her vulnerable jugular vein. Just one tiny slip, one nick and it would be all over for her, and as much as Ziva wanted to be done with her brutal assault she wished with all her heart that she could be given just a few minutes with the man that she knew would be currently tearing his hair out as he and the rest of the team looked for her.

Ziva needed to tell him how she truly felt. She wanted to know the touch of his lips, his hands, his body, just once before she died. She wanted Tony DiNozzo so damned much that as she filled her burning lungs with enough air to try and call for help one last time, her one true love's name was the one that came up from the depths of her very soul.

"TONYYYY!"

tbc...


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter fourteen

Gibbs' fist slammed into Tony's gut effectively halting his maddened dash towards the scream that had reached their ears through the shelter of the trees.

"Wait!" whispered Gibbs harshly as he pulled Tony up from his crumpled position from where he'd stopped his flight. "It could be a trap!"

Tony didn't attempt to harness the desperate whimper on hearing the woman he loved scream his name in sheer terror. And he did love her, he realized, with all his heart. This wasn't a love 'em and leave 'em kind of love, this was a real bona fide deep seated kick in the nuts kind of love, a love that he was desperate to explore.

"He's killing her, boss, I just know it," he whimpered.

"Then he's too busy to know what we're doing, Tony," he reasoned. "Keep your head, just for a little longer. We'll get the bastard, I promise." He vowed as he threw a silent signal to Tim.

Tim acknowledged the signal with a nod and he slunk off to hide behind another tree. And then another and then another, getting near enough to get the trailer in his sights. Pulling out his binoculars, Tim scanned the dirty and dingy trailer for any sign of movement, feeling gutted when he saw nothing.

Reporting the fact back to Gibbs, Gibbs whispered, "Good. That means he's not looking for us right now. Tony, move closer, but do NOT go to it until you get my order, right?"

Dampening down his disappointment and his frustration, Tony nodded and moved off in the opposite direction that Tim had taken. Doing similar, he went furtively from tree to tree until he too was placed as near as he could get without being seen. It wasn't near enough, as far as Tony was concerned, but, orders were orders and as much as he wanted to go after Ziva, he knew Gibbs' word was gospel. If he said it, he meant it and you didn't disobey without getting some serious back lash from it and Tony wasn't in the mood for a smacking, not today. He didn't think his fragile state of mind could put up with it. He was in the mood to kill and he wanted to save it for the scum bag inside the hovel of a trailer.

When all three men were in position Gibbs asked Tim to scan the trailer again to see if there was any movement. Other than a worrying rocking motion he couldn't see a thing and reported it back. "Still no sign of him, boss. Are we going to make our move?"

It took less than a heartbeat for Gibbs to make the decision. "Go, but for God's sake be careful. Ziva's life depends on what we're about to do. On my mark…"

The three men stepped out of the tree line and hurried closer to the trailer. Gibbs was the closest to the broken window and carefully edged his way towards it, staring at the ground in order to dodge broken bottles and debris that was littered liberally around it.

It would take a tough man to ignore the heartbreaking noises that were coming from within the trailer and Gibbs swallowed the bile that rose to his throat whilst hoping that Tony could not hear what he was hearing. There was no doubt that Hadar was raping Ziva and with a deep breath he steeled himself to see what he was about to see as he got near enough to finally get a quick look through the window.

No human on the planet should have to see what Gibbs was seeing as he cautiously peeked through the dirty window. He was so glad that it had been himself that had taken up the prominent position instead of his colleagues. Tony would have gone berserk and Tim…well, he didn't think Tim was worldly enough to see such a ghastly vision, especially as it was a woman he deeply admired and respected, just as Gibbs himself did.

Gibbs had seen the aftermath of such a rape before but had never witnessed the heinous crime still in action. Hadar was completely absorbed in getting his kicks as he plunged roughly into Ziva, one hand tugging on her hair as the other held a dagger against her jugular vein, the erratic and frantic movements of his body duplicated in the movement of the dagger cutting into her soft skin making it bleed. His shaven head was thrown back in ecstasy, his eyes closed. Gibbs didn't need to see his face to see his enjoyment; he knew it was there and it made him want to retch. Was this how he was going to kill her; when he finished raping her, to slit her throat at the final culmination of his own orgasm?

Gibbs' hand was trembling as he raised his glock to the window and aimed. He had to hit him right. He had to get him plum square in the back of his head so that he died instantly. He couldn't misjudge and jeopardize Ziva's precarious life that was already hanging in the balance.

And then as if he sensed he was being watched, that his life was about to end, Hadar paused. It had been just what Gibbs had wanted and without one iota of guilt or hesitation he pulled the trigger, hitting home.

Ziva felt the momentary hiatus as the knife at her throat paused and the agonizing thrusts stopped, and in that instant of relief, Ziva knew help had finally arrived. The gun shot came barely seconds later and she turned her face into the dirty mattress and waited for the inevitable; the splatter of brain matter and blood hitting the back of her head and then the excruciating weight of a dead man falling on top of her.

Ziva was silent with shock as she finally allowed the events of the past hour or so to roll over her. Had it been so long ago that she'd been staring lovingly at Tony's naked chest as he lay sleeping on his sofa?

She was still lost to that dream when she felt two warm fingers pressed to her throat and then a voice that she had longed to hear, spoke. "She's alive. Don't come in here, Tony, or you, Tim. Give us a minute. Get the medics here, pronto. Go!" He thundered turning on the two men as his own shock finally erupted.

Tony's blustering was cut off mid-stride as Gibbs began herding the two men back out of the trailer, slamming the door in their wake. Seconds later he was back by her side and crouching down beside her head. He gently pushed the hair away from her face that was still buried into the mattress.

"Ziva, sweetheart?" He crooned as he tenderly stroked his thumb down her cheek. "I'm going to get him off you, and then I'm going to cut your ties. It's going to hurt like the devil, but I don't want the guys to see you like this, ok?"

Ziva instantly understood what he was telling her. She was naked and bloody and displayed in a not so flattering position. It was going to be bad enough for Gibbs to see her in such a vulnerable and frankly disturbing way, but to have Tony and Tim to see her in the same way, too, was positively mind blowing and her feint, grateful nod was acknowledge by a rough kiss to her temple before he pushed himself away from her and began to disengage her body from the corpse on top of her.

As Ziva heard the solid lump of body hit the bare floor she began to sob as the reality of the situation and her freedom began to overwhelm her. Gibbs' heart broke at the pitiful sound and he resolutely ignored the silent plea to comfort her and carried on doing what he had to do.

Gibbs whipped an old musty blanket off a cot behind him, shook the worst of the grime from it and laid it across her nakedness. He was desperate to conceal her from eyes, most of all his own. There was one thing seeing a beautiful woman naked and wanting, and another seeing her battered, bleeding and vulnerable. No one needed to see her like that other than the paramedics that he could hear coming in the distance and then the doctors and nurses who were going to see her once she got to the hospital. Tony and Tim did not need to see her and he was determined that they would not, not if he had anything to say about it.

Gibbs was acutely aware that when he cut the binds and she moved her arms and legs she was going to cry out, and as strong as Tim was, Gibbs knew that he wouldn't be able to hold Tony back when he heard her.

And, God, did Ziva scream as he released her from her bonds. Ziva instinctively curled up to hide herself from prying eyes, her gut-wrenching wails of pain torn from the bowels of hell continued as Gibbs pulled the sobbing woman into his arms and tucked the blanket around her. He could do no more than rock the sobbing woman against him and hush inconsequential soothings to her as he waited for the paramedics to arrive.

And five minutes later there was pandemonium as not only they piled into the small trailer, but Tony and Tim, too. A deathly silence fell as they surveyed the scene around them until their eyes inevitably landed on the huddled, whimpering woman being cradled in Gibbs' protective arms.

Tony started forward but Gibbs' steady gaze stopped him in his tracks, the miniscule shake of his head telling him to leave her be for now. Gibbs saw the unspoken questions in Tony's eyes and he truly felt for him then. He knew it should have been Tony holding the distraught woman, but Gibbs couldn't let her go. He wouldn't let her go, not this time.

She had saved his life once a long time ago and now he was returning the favor. Ziva wouldn't have wanted Tony seeing her at what could only be described as her absolute worst. His time would come in the days ahead. She was going to need someone by her side as she not only physically healed, but came to terms with her ordeal. And even though Tony could be an ass sometimes, Gibbs had no doubts about Tony's feelings for Ziva, knowing that he was the right man for the job, when the time came for Ziva to start living again. It was going to take a while but he knew positively that Tony would do his utmost best for her. And if it meant breaking all the rules, then so be it. Sometimes love came first, above everything else, and Jethro Gibbs had no qualms about allowing this love match to happen.

One day.

But not today, and as Gibbs carried his precious cargo out to the ambulance and saw his entire team waiting anxiously by, just to see that Ziva truly was alive and relatively okay, Tony, Tim, Ducky, Palmer, Abby, and incredibly, Leon, too, Gibbs gave each one a small smile, letting them know without words, that Ziva David was as okay as she could be and just needed some time.

Tony could do nothing but stand by and watch his boss climb into the back of the ambulance with Ziva huddled close in his arms. He wanted to be the one to hold her. He wanted to be the one to go with her to the hospital. He wanted…

He wanted…

Oh, God, he wanted Ziva, so much, and without so much as a word, Tony spun on his heels and hurriedly made his way back to the cars that were still parked on the other side of the trees. He had to go to her. He had to be with her and no one was going to stop him, least of all the man who was currently taking his place by Ziva's side.

tbc...


	15. Chapter 15

Thanks for the lovely reviews. Glad it's tugging at the heart strings. More of that to come :)

Chapter fifteen

Somehow he made it to the hospital before the ambulance arrived and was waiting impatiently by the emergency bay doors for its arrival. It was only scant minutes before he heard the sirens in the distance and he steeled himself for Gibbs' wrath when he saw him there. But for once Tony didn't care. He didn't even care if he didn't even get in to see Ziva; he just had to be there, just in case. When Tony had heard her scream his name back at the trailer park, a part of him had cried '_Yes_!' To hear his name fall from her lips in her desperate hour of need had shattered any of the doubts that had lingered in his mind. Ziva had needed him, Tony DiNozzo. Not Gibbs.

So how come it was Gibbs that was taking care of her? Tony stepped back into the shadows as the ambulance crew jumped out of their cab and hurried around to the back to open the doors.

But it soon become apparent that their services weren't needed as they stepped back to let Gibbs step out with Ziva still cradled in his arms, the filthy blanket now replaced with a clean baby blue one that had probably been replaced once they were hidden away from prying eyes.

No one spotted him and within moments all went quiet as the party vanished into the building. Tony stepped out from behind the cement column and pushed through the automatic door. For a long moment he was disconcerted with the heavy silence and then used it to find his way to the heart of the emergency.

He made his way to the receptionist and flashed his badge to her. "Anthony DiNozzo, NCIS. I'm looking for the patient that's just come in with the ambulance crew."

"I'll take it from here, thank you, nurse."

_Busted._

"What are you doing here, Tony? I thought I made it quite clear that no one was going to see Ziva yet."

"Damn it, boss," Tony growled low so that only Gibbs could hear, failing to hide his desperation at being firmly left out in the cold, his eyes taking in the smears of blood that covered a large part of Gibbs' shirt. His stomach rolled, knowing that it was Ziva's blood, ramming home that she really was hurt. The growl turned to a plea. "Don't make me go away, please."

But before Gibbs could say another word the unmistakable sound of a stampede caught their ears and they both turned to see the rest of the team hurrying through the same doors that DiNozzo had used, headed by a very determined, and uniquely dressed, Abigail Scuito. Her vibrant extra short tartan trousers and humongous shiny plastic platform boots were tame compared to the wild make-up that she wore. Black lipstick, extra long fake eyelashes that comically looked as though she'd gotten two giant spiders stuck to her eyelids, and added to that was black trails of coal that had run down her face when she'd cried back at the scene. But then again, maybe they were supposed to look like that. Sometimes you just couldn't tell with Abby.

The events unfolding at the trailer park had completely obliterated Abby's presence, but they couldn't miss her now, especially as she towered over them all in her boots, and she had her black painted finger nail pointing back and forth between them both.

"How could you leave us behind, Gibbs? Tony? We wanted to be here for Ziva too, you finks, and you both ran out on us! She's our friend too."

Gibbs gently grabbed the finger, his smile tender but sad as he planted a kiss on its tip to placate the Goth lab tech. "Sorry, Abs. Didn't mean to, but we needed to get Ziva here as quick as we could before she lost any more blood. Amit's knife did more damage than we first thought."

The collective group gasped, but it was Tony who dared to ask the obvious; his heartbeat jumping to his throat as images he'd rather not see flicked through his head, the evidence there, on Gibbs' shirt for all to see. "He cut her, boss? Where?"

Gibbs looked around the members of the team one by one finally coming to settle on his oldest friend, the only one that would know the true depth of what he was telling him, his eyes turning suspiciously glassy as he murmured thickly, "Her….chest."

Gibbs didn't have to say anything more than that. He didn't need to say the word 'breasts'. The word he'd chosen had been used to dilute the truth, but they'd all known better and Gibbs was rewarded with a stunned silence as they digested the shocking news.

There wasn't anything anyone could have said that would have made it any easier. Abby began to silently weep again as she stepped into Gibbs' arms to comfort both her and himself. Ducky reached out to squeeze his shoulder understanding that Gibbs had witnessed the atrocity, and was going to be the only one of them to ever to see Ziva's injuries.

Tony's quiet voice was trembling when he finally broke the silence that had descended upon them, besides Abby's quiet weeping. "I'm not leaving, boss. I'm not going anywhere until I've seen her myself. I love her and I'm not going until I've told her so, and you can't make me," he added defiantly.

The unanimous gasp that rippled around the group as they all turned to gape at Tony would have been funny at another time and another place. But inevitably it was Abby that got in the first few obvious words.

"You _love_ Ziva, Tony? When did that happen, and how come you didn't tell us about it? We're your friends, Tony! How could you keep that from us – from me?" Her outrage rippled around the small group as they all turned to him and waited for an answer.

Tony cringed under the scrutiny but held his head high when he made to answer them, but he was cut off by Gibbs cutting in, saving his neck, and embarrassment. "This isn't the time or the place to discuss this. I'm ordering you all to go back to work. Tony, you stay. We need to have a little chat and we might as well have it while we wait for Ziva to come out of surgery. The rest of you can come back tomorrow. In the meantime, Tim, you write up what happened today. Ducky, get that bastard's body ready to be shipped back to Israel, and Abby…go and say some prayers for all of us and say some extra special ones for Ziva. Now scat, all of you."

It was a somewhat subdued team that reluctantly vacated the hospital moments later, but also reluctantly acknowledging that there was nothing to be done except wait for news, news that they were going to have to wait for back at headquarters. They each had jobs to do, whether they liked it or not. In reality Ziva's ordeal was technically a case and to be treated as such. The only bonus to it was that the villain was already lying in Ducky's mortuary, a fact that nobody minded, least of all Jethro Gibbs.

tbc...


	16. Chapter 16

Thanks for the wonderful feedback. So very much appreciated. And on with the angst...

Chapter sixteen

"Wanna tell me why you decided to tell the whole world and its mother, Tony?"

Tony squirmed at Gibbs' tone but held himself in check as he continued to stare at the same object as his boss; Ziva laying deeply asleep in her hospital bed. Tubes and other paraphernalia exited her fragile body from several sources, and when Tony had first seen her, he had unashamedly broken down. The stress and strain of the past 24 hours or so, added with the relief of seeing the woman that he desperately loved battered and broken and now swathed in bandages as she'd finally left the recovery ward, had been too much for him.

Tony ached to hold Ziva in his arms, just for a few seconds, but had been denied. Gibbs had sympathized with the younger man, wanting to do the same thing himself, but, not for the same reason. He understood Tony's need, more than he'd ever know. It had been all Gibbs himself had wanted to do when he'd lost his beloved Shannon, and Kelly, too. But he'd been too late. Way, way too late. But the need to hold them both was still there, even after all the years that they'd been gone. He knew the ache would never leave him. He never wanted it to leave him, because if it did, Gibbs knew that he'd have lost them forever, and he simply wasn't ready to do that. He wasn't ever going to do that.

"Tony?"

Tony blinked as his name filtered through the fog of despair that was holding him hostage, painfully bringing him back to the present. He turned large, sad eyes to the man standing beside him as they'd watched the nursing staff tend to the woman on the other side of the glass.

"Nothing wrong with the truth, boss," he said quietly, his gaze already turning back to its original position.

Gibbs' gaze joined his. "Nope, there isn't. Kinda wondering, though, what Ziva will have to say about it when she gets out of here. Have you told her that you love her?"

Tony's shoulders lifted in a slight shrug as he folded his arms across his chest and Gibbs recognized the stance for what it was; bravado. "She knows," he whispered.

"That's not what I asked, Tony, and you know it."

Once more Tony tore his eyes away from Ziva and held Gibbs' gaze with a determination that was now etched across his handsome face. Gibbs was happier to see that than the sorrow that had haunted them only moments before.

"She knows, boss. Let me in there for thirty seconds, and I'll prove it."

"Not happening, Tony, and you know it."

"Who's gonna stop me, boss. You?"

"If I have to, but I'm not, not tonight. I know you need to connect with her. I understand that, Tony, more than you know."

Both men found and held each other's gaze for the longest of moments and Tony realized what his mentor was silently telling him; that at least his woman was still alive and could be held. That was more than Gibbs had had when he'd lost his family.

Tony's simple, "Thanks, boss," was heartfelt. And now all he had to do was to wait for his opportunity.

It was almost an hour later when Tony DiNozzo finally stepped quietly into Ziva's room as his boss stood watching through the window. Memories of too long ago forced Gibbs' feet to stay where they were as he enviously watched Tony tenderly whisper to her as he stroked her cheek with his trembling fingers, his lips lightly touching hers as he murmured much more than he intended to before reluctantly leaving her side.

Tony wasn't surprised to find that Gibbs had gone when he stepped back into the corridor. There had been too many memories for him, and far too many regrets.

tbc...


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter seventeen

She hurt, everywhere. Ziva winced as she moved her arm, quickly dropping it back to its original position as the movement ignited a burning pain that started at her shoulder and intensified across her chest area. Without seeing them, she could feel that she was heavily swathed in bandages and for a brief moment failed to recall just why she was hurting so much.

And then Amit's face swam before her eyes and she shuddered and whimpered with fear. Instantly she felt her fingers being squeezed, a deep voice murmuring close to her ear. "Shhhh, its okay, Ziva, you're safe."

Gibbs.

Wearily Ziva tried to open her eyes, but the lids were too heavy for her to move. She felt drugged and the knowledge of that possibility created another whimper from her parched throat and as before, Gibbs' quiet voice spoke to her, calmed her. "Keep still, Ziva, you're in hospital, you're safe. You've been hurt but you're okay. No one's going to hurt you ever again."

But Gibbs' soothing words didn't create the effect that he wanted and Ziva's chest began to rise and fall with distress as she began to panic, the heart rate monitor increasing in tempo and volume. Why couldn't she see? Why did she hurt so much? Where was she? Where was Tony? She needed Tony.

And then he was there, his lips touching her temple, his voice, close to her ear, whispering words that she never thought she would hear and she desperately clawed her way back to sanity as she focused on his voice, his words, and his love. Slowly the monitor began to slow, but not before Ziva had felt the sting of a needle pierce her arm and she was forced to drift back into the world of oblivion.

The next time she woke, things were different; she didn't hurt quite as much. Her eyelids rose and she quickly adjusted to the light that spilled into the room. She attempted to move her head, but quickly rejected that idea as a shaft of pain shot through it, making her moan with its intensity.

Instantly she felt movement beside her and as she turned her face Ziva found her eyes looking into another's. Tony's.

Despite that those eyes were heavy with fatigue and now suspiciously glassy, Ziva had never been so happy to see him. His face, covered with many days worth of stubble, had never looked so welcome, his own ear to ear grin telling her that he felt the same way about seeing her.

"Hi," he whispered before touching her parched lips with his. She tried to reciprocate with her own greeting, but little more came out than a squeak. Tony reached for the beaker on the bedside cabinet and held the straw to her lips as she gratefully took a swallow.

When she'd finished, Tony replaced it and put his face back in her eye line. The sheen of moisture was gone to be replaced with sheer joy at finally seeing her back among the living. "It is so good to have you back, Ziva. We thought you were going to sleep for weeks."

"How long…?" She croaked.

"Four very long, miserable days. You have no idea how hard that damn armchair is. I think my butt is going to protest for years to come."

Tony pressed another kiss to her mouth again, forcing himself to keep it light before adding the rest of his bizarre statement. "But I would do it all over again, Zee. You have no idea how worried I have been…we all have," he amended. "The rest of the guys will want to know you're okay, Can I let them know?"

Somehow Ziva maneuvered her arm from her side and gingerly lifted it to caress his hairy face before adding softly, "In a minute, Tony, in a minute." Gently sliding her fingers around to the nape of his nape, she pulled his face towards hers and her quivering lips reached for his. Tony needed no further prompting as he lightly settled his mouth upon hers and gave her the kiss that they both desperately needed.

When they finally pulled apart Tony body was trembling with need, but even so, he couldn't resist asking. "What was that for…not that I'm complaining. I just…"

"I remember, Tony," Ziva whispered as she stared lovingly into his beautiful green eyes, her fingers still teasing his throat; stroking the pulse that she felt there. "I remember what you said to me."

Tony swallowed painfully, remembering himself just what he'd whispered to her before the nurse had thrown him out after she'd come out of surgery. "Do you?" he whispered hoarsely, his face flaming with embarrassment.

"I do," she smiled tenderly. "Do you remember what you said to me?" When Tony did little more than watch her with fear and fascination, she recited for him, word by word. "When you get out of here, I'm going to ask you to marry me, Ziva David."

Ziva smiled at his stunned face, a little of her old sassiness took hold of her as she asked, "Do you really want to marry me, Tony?"

Tony's heart began to pump with desire as he looked lovingly into her eyes, decision, need and determination filled his voice when he answered her. "You bet. Nothing is going to stop me, Ziva. I've always known you'd be mine one day. I know we've had our ups and down, but I've always known that one day we'd be married. Nothing has changed that, Ziva, nothing."

Tears welled and spilled over as Ziva pulled Tony down to her for the hug she knew they both craved. She wanted to hug him to her. She wanted to pull him on top of her so that they could fall asleep together as she felt the pull of exhaustion wash over her. But eventually she noticed that Tony was holding himself away from her. She didn't understand why until she found his eyes again, saw the concern in them, and then as one hand drifted across her bandaged chest, the rest of her nightmare resurfaced and she remembered what Amit had done to her - had really done to her.

tbc...


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter eighteen

Tony saw the movement and silently swore. Finding her eyes he swore again when he saw them fill with tears, and then he broke when those same tears spilled over. He dropped his forehead to hers and murmured brokenly, "No, no, honey, don't cry, please don't cry. It's not so bad, please trust me on this. I don't care and I don't want you to care, Ziva. You're alive, that's all I care about, God damn it."

Tony's words only made Ziva cry harder – hard enough to finally set off the alarms, her garbled, 'Leave me alone, I can't marry you now! I wish I was dead!' were torn from the very depths of her tortured soul and Tony felt his entire universe disintegrate around him. Seconds later the nurses hurried into the room, pulled Tony away from Ziva and pushed him out of the room with him protesting all the way. His, "I'll be back, Ziva! I'm not giving up on us that easily!" was drowned out by her wracking sobs as the nursing team set about calming their patient again.

Tony could only watch on helplessly, guilt consuming him for upsetting her, anger following on close behind for what Hadar had done to her, and the injustice of it all, and now her unspoken refusal to get close enough for him to see the ugly scars that he knew now laced her body. And then grief took over as he thought about losing her. He couldn't lose her. He wouldn't lose her, not for the sake of a few scars. The surgeon had told him that most would fade and others could be disguised, and if she wanted at a later date, she could have plastic surgery on the worst ones.

But he didn't care if Ziva never had the surgery. He'd love her, no matter what, and now, somehow, all he had to do was prove it to her. But it would not be done today. He'd done enough damage for one day. It was time he went home, had a shower, got something to eat other than diabolical hospital vending machine food, changed his clothes, and then got a decent night's sleep.

Tomorrow was going to be a whole new day, a day when he had to convince Ziva that he was the one for her, no matter what obstacles stood in the way.

The plan was going well. He went home and he got something to eat. The shower was going great and he allowed himself the luxury of lingering beneath the hot soothing water until he felt the tension within him begin to dribble out and flush away down the drain. And then he heard a pounding at the door.

The pounding continued as he headed for the door dripping with water and he hurriedly tucked the towel around his nether regions en route. "Alright, alright!" he bellowed as he reached for the handle. "Can't a guy get a damn shower in peace anymore? Christ!"

"Not when you fuck up big time, DiNozzo!"

Gibbs. It had to be. It couldn't have possibly been anyone else.

Tony barely got the door open before Gibbs pushed his way in and rounded on him. "What did you say to her? What did you do? I just had Vance on my ass demanding that I tell you to stay the hell away from Ziva. Damn it, Tony, What did you do to her?"

Helplessly Tony stood and took the verbal beating, simply because he was too tired to do anything else but take it. He felt mentally shattered and he looked it, too. It was then that his boss stopped and took a good look at his senior team member, his anger deflating to be replaced with concern. "You look like crap."

Tony grunted humorlessly as he headed towards the kitchen. "Gee, thanks, boss, guess I'm a bit pooped from watching over Ziva. You know, that woman who is currently lying all beat up in the hospital?"

"Don't be so facetious, Tony, it doesn't suit you."

Tony continued to fill the kettle and then plugged it in and morosely watched it boil, his dour thoughts turning back to the last few moments with Ziva. No wonder Gibbs was pissed with him, he was pissed with himself. "I…I hurt her. I didn't mean to, boss, I…I just did, and it's killing me."

Tony turned sad eyes to the man standing in his kitchen doorway. "I'm sorry."

"Never say you're sorry, Tony. What I wanna know, is what you're gonna do about it."

Tony reached for two mugs out of the cupboard, liberally poured two good shots of coffee into them and poured on the water. He handed Gibbs his mug and both men took a tentative sip at it, both grimacing at the same time at its bitterness.

"Crap coffee, DiNozzo."

"Yeah, I know. Prefer the café on the corner but can't go dressed like this." Their gazes shifted quickly down his toned body, the mass of dark hair on his chest now dry rather than dripping wet.

"Think I'll go and put some clothes on. I wanna go back and check she's okay."

"She's okay, Tony."

Tony stopped still as he reached his bedroom door, but he didn't turn around. "You've seen her?" he asked quietly.

Gibbs answer was equally quiet. "Yeah, I saw her. She was sleeping. They drugged her up pretty good, and she didn't get much choice in the matter." He snarled pointedly. "Get some sleep, Tony. I want to see you back in the office, 0900 hours, and then I want to know what happened."

Gibbs was gone as quickly as he came, leaving Tony staring at the closed door as indecision battled a war within him. Did he go to her, or did he leave her be? Did he try and tell her again how much she meant to him - would always mean to him, or agree to take another step backwards and give her the space and time that she had enforced on their already non-existent romance? But moments later, fatigue swept over him and won. Reluctantly, but thankfully, he climbed into his own bed and finally slept the sleep of the dead.

tbc...


	19. Chapter 19

Just a short one, Im afraid. If you're all reaal nice to me, I might post the next one today ;)

Chapter nineteen

Tony exited the elevator, the impending sense of doom escalating with each passing floor on his way to the office. He'd hoped he'd beaten the rest of the team in, but he almost back-peddled when he saw them all huddled in the bull-pen. It was clear that they were all waiting for him and he grimaced as he dumped his back-pack on his desk. Now what?

But he was surprised as Abby quietly walked over to his side and slid her arms around his neck and gave him one of her all-too famous hugs. Gratefully, he hugged the tall Goth woman back, probably a little too hard, if he was honest. He hadn't realized how much he'd needed the comfort of a sympathetic human and Abby always came up trumps for him, always.

"Thanks, Abs," he murmured against her ear, her high pigtail tickling his nose as he did so.

"You're welcome, Tony. We love you, and we all care about you. Remember that."

As she pulled away from him, Tony wondered at the strange comment. What was he missing? His eyes went from person to person until they finally reached his boss's. He wondered at the curious light that shone from them, and worriedly he spoke one word. "Boss?"

Gibbs hadn't expected Tony to be quite so ready to find out what was happening around him. He thought he'd bounce back into the office like he'd always done; full of life, ready to go, ready for whatever the day threw at them all, but not today.

Tony had grown up overnight, it seemed. Acknowledging his love for Ziva had finally unlocked the true Tony DiNozzo and Gibbs found he was looking at a different man. Last night when he'd visited Tony at his home, Gibbs had seen a hurting man, a broken man.

Tony had been devastated when he'd given up Jeanne, but he'd bounced back pretty quickly. Maybe being apart from her had opened his eyes to see the real relationship that had been thrust upon them both.

But his relationship with Ziva David was different. Gibbs had watched the relationship grow over time into something deep, something meaningful. When Tony had killed Ziva's previous lover, it had been the catalyst for them both. Tony had finally realized that his feelings for her went beyond friendship. He was in love with her, the kind of love that one wanted to live with forever more.

But now Ziva had demanded to be relieved of her position at NCIS. She was going home. She was running, again, only this time she was running from herself, and running from the one man that she should not be running from. Tony.

Well, Gibbs was not going to let her run, not if he got his own way in a few minutes time, and as he headed towards the stairs all eyes were upon him, including Tony's. He got half way before speaking.

"DiNozzo, my office. Now!"

tbc...


	20. Chapter 20

An extra for today as the previous chapter was a shorty. Thanks again for the owderful revies. They mean a lot. And on with the tale...

Chapter twenty

"You've got a new assignment, Tony."

Tony began to protest hotly, as Gibbs knew he would. "Boss, I can't be given an assignment now! Can't McGee do it? You know he's more than qualified, you know that. I don't want to be away from Ziva right now, she needs me, boss, you know she needs me."

Gibbs perched himself on the edge of the table and watched as he let Tony finish, and then he quietly dropped the file he was holding – which had nothing to do with the assignment, whatsoever, but Tony didn't have to know that – and quietly said to the now pacing man, "Ziva _is_ your assignment."

Tony stopped in his tracks and turned to stare at Gibbs, his eyes wide with suspicion. "What's she done now, boss?"

Gibbs shrugged, not yet ready to fill him in on all the details, needing to find out what had conspired between the couple the previous night. Everything hung on what Tony revealed.

"Sit down, Tony."

Suddenly filled with trepidation at the tone in Gibbs' voice, Tony pulled out a chair and sat down, feeling decidedly small now that he had to look up at his senior officer.

"Tell me what happened last night, all of it."

Color lit Tony's face as he prepared himself to refuse his superior's demand. "It's…personal, boss."

Gibbs took a deep breath and repeated his demand. "Tell me what happened, DiNozzo. It's important that I know."

Suspicion crept into Tony's features as he realized that this was more about Ziva than himself and he found himself asking, "What's Ziva said?"

Gibbs shook his head, his answer honest as he replied. "Nothing, you know Ziva. She'd rather die than spill."

Tony acknowledged that with a grunt. Yeah, he knew that all right. Damn chick was too stubborn by far.

Tony thought about where to start, took a deep shuddering breath and told his boss what he wanted to know.

"I asked her to marry me, boss, and she said yes. She got curious when she tried to hug me and I held myself away from her – you know, so I didn't hurt her…chest?" Gibbs nodded and he continued. "She didn't say anything, but I knew what was going through her mind. She remembered what Hadar did to her and realized that her body was now covered with ugly scars, and then she said she couldn't marry me - wouldn't marry me."

Tony eyes were glassy when he met Gibbs eyes, the memory consuming him, the finality of her crushing words slashing at his own battered emotions. "What do I do now, boss? I don't care about her scars. I just want to be with her."

"She's done another runner, Tony."

Tony gasped with shock. He wasn't expecting that piece of news. He expected to be barred from seeing her. He even expected that Gibbs would bar him from going anywhere near her. He didn't expect to be told she was running again.

"Where to?" he asked with dread.

"Home, we think. She's booked on a flight for 1400 hours, but I've got a hunch she'd not gonna be on it."

"Why?"

"She made a real point of letting us know about it."

For a moment Tony didn't see the logic. And then he did. "She knew we'd send someone with her, like me, maybe?"

"Yep. Which is why she's being watched as we speak? She's still at the hospital for now – and no, I don't want you going there – and we've managed to get a homing signal into her belongings. We've got to get this right, Tony, or else we'll lose her for good."

Tony knew Gibbs wasn't just referring to Ziva disappearing, never to be found again. They were all going to have to give her a little space – just a little – just long enough for her to realize that she needed her friends, her job, and her life back. But mostly, that she'd need him.

The enormity of what was at stake overwhelmed Tony, but he was more than aware that it was going to be down to him to bring Ziva home. Home to NCIS, to her friends, and God, he hoped he'd get her to come home to him. With each passing day, Tony fell a little more in love with his little Ninja chick even though they shared little more than a kiss and a proposal, a proposal that she had thrown back in his face barely a heart beat afterwards.

He wasn't giving up on her, not without a fight, and Tony had a horrible suspicion that that was what he was going to get when he came face to face with Ziva David again.

tbc...


	21. Chapter 21

Sorry about not posting yesterday folks. Couldn't upload the file :( And on with the tale...

Chapter twenty one

Ziva had no trouble slipping pass the guard who was supposed to be watching her on her ward level. All it had taken was a pretty nurse to capture his attention for a couple of moments and Ziva was gone.

Though once she hit the pavement outside, she didn't have a clue as to where she was headed. She didn't dare use her phone knowing that McGee would find her without missing a heartbeat. Her wallet was tucked deep in her backpack but she knew she had no large amounts of cash inside of it and she didn't dare use her credit card either.

Where did she go? What did she do? Her heart wanted to go to Tony's, but she wasn't ready to face him, not yet. She had a lot to say to the man that had proposed to her barely 24 hours before, but none of them were words that he would want to hear.

She couldn't go to Abby's because she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that the younger woman would do her utmost to talk her out of just about anything Ziva had planned. In Abby's world everything had an answer, and everything could be tickety boo. But Ziva felt as far removed from being tickety boo as she could be. Her entire universe had fallen down around her ears and she had no one to turn to, not if she wanted to avoid being snitched upon. As much as she loved her fellow co workers, Ziva knew they would drop her right into the thick of it, given half the chance, and she wasn't giving any of them the chance. Not even Gibbs.

Gibbs. What Ziva would have given to have his sensibility by her side at that very minute. She'd been so relieved that he'd been the one to take charge of her back at that horrible trailer park, but it was going to take a substantial amount of time to be able to look him straight in the eye again. He'd seen her…all of her, and she hadn't just meant her physical body. Gibbs had seen beneath her outer shell, and heard her pitiful pleas, and heard her sob like a child. No one had ever seen her in such a vulnerable state, no one.

Ziva was on her own now and she didn't know where to turn to next. Her wounds began to sting and throb with the pain and exertion of just moving and she was going to need to rest before much longer, and with that in mind, she wearily turned and walked away from her refuge, as well as her prison. She had to find shelter, and soon, before she collapsed. Ziva hadn't realized just how unsteady and drained she was until then and the knowledge scared her more than she dared admit to herself.

"What do you mean she's gone!" Gibb shouted into the mouthpiece of his phone on hearing the news that he'd dreaded – while on the other hand, had half expected it. "Damn you, Maguire, couldn't you just watch one injured woman for a couple of hours without screwing up?"

The man didn't get the chance to apologize before Gibbs slammed the phone back down. McGee and DiNozzo could only stare at Gibbs as he silently raged in his seat trying desperately to rein in his temper and figure out what to do next.

"Boss?" Tony tried to ask him about Ziva, but was shot down before he could say another word.

"Shut up, DiNozzo, this is your entire damned fault! If you hadn't…." Gibbs caught Tim's horrified gaze and cut short the rest of what he was going to say. What he wanted to say. Instead he stood and walked to the big screen, barking at Tim as he did so. "Find her, Tim."

Resolutely, Tim pounded his keyboard and brought up the relevant information that they all needed to see. It had been clever thinking to slip the tracking device into Ziva's wallet, instinctively knowing that given the chance she would make a run for it. They all knew her too well.

"Found her, boss. She's at a motel three blocks from the hospital."

Tony sidled up beside Gibbs and stared at the blinking icon on the street map, his face creased in worry. "Want me to go after her, boss?"

But Gibbs shook his head and moved back towards his desk before sitting down again. "Nope. She'll be exhausted and I'd rather let her get some rest before we go get her, and she won't get that if we go get her now. For now we know she's okay. Tomorrow will be soon enough. You can go have breakfast with her."

"Breakfast?" Tony asked stupidly.

"Yeah, breakfast. You got a problem with that, DiNozzo?"

"Uh…no, boss. What shall I do with her after breakfast?"

Gibbs stared at him as though he really were stupid. "Talk to her you idiot. Make whatever you did wrong, right. Otherwise I'm gonna come kick your ass for real if you hurt her again. You got that?" he snarled.

Tony didn't need any further proof of Gibbs' intentions. Instead he started making some plans of his own, and that meant visiting Ziva's home again, only this time, he was going inside.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter twenty two

Ziva felt 100% better, even if her night was broken by her own insecurities. She half expected to open her eyes and find one of her team staring down at her. But it never happened and Ziva didn't know if she was relieved or pissed about it.

Reluctantly, she pushed herself up and out of her bed, groaning with stiffness and pain as she did so. A hasty visit to the bathroom and a downing of the pain medication that the hospital had given her marked the start of her day.

After making do with a finger scrub to her teeth and a splash of cold water to her face, Ziva was as ready as she was ever going to be. She didn't know where she was going to go today, but after a much needed reality check as she lay in bed last night, Ziva acknowledged that she could not go any further. She was going to need help, or at least freedom to take some time out and get back to health, both mentally and physically.

There was only one person who'd she consider in her plans, and that was Jethro Gibbs. He was the only one close enough to know what she was going through, and far enough away to know that she needed time. Ziva needed to be able to use her phone and her bank account to get any further than the room she was currently holed up in.

That the owner had believed her when she'd told him that she was an undercover cop and needed to keep watch on one of the residents still made her smile. She smiled even wider when she told him to bill NCIS for the use of the room. That would make the accounts department particularly unhappy, but she didn't care. She had needed a bed and NCIS had removed any chance of her returning to her own home.

Now she wished she'd added a shopping trip to the local mall for essentials and clothing to the bill as she looked down at herself. She felt grubby and she looked grubby, too. Her hair was a wild tangle of knots, but she didn't have the energy to bend over in the shower to wash it, and a shower was out of the question with her various wound coverings.

After looking around the room, seeing no reason to linger any longer, Ziva finally made it to the door. Apprehension clouded her features, although why, she couldn't figure. The threat to her life was dead and it appeared that she'd managed to evade the team. But even so, as she opened the door, she couldn't help but behave as though she was still being hunted.

To spot a large carrier bag on her doorstop somewhat threw her and she quickly slammed the door shut insanely thinking that the bag might blow her to bits. Seconds passed as Ziva took the time to gather her scattered emotions and calm her pounding heart. Then with more caution, she reopened the door and took a tentative look inside the bag.

She spotted things that were familiar to her; her make-up bag, a wash bag that probably held all her bathroom necessities. And what on Earth was that she spotted? A bagel! And a Styrofoam cup with a lid on that she was almost certain would contain hot coffee.

Gingerly Ziva picked up the bag and once more let her gaze sweep the street. The motel was in a busy-ish side street, the sidewalk lined with a row of trees that had clearly given the motel its name – The Cedar Motel. The road was lined with parked cars and Ziva half expected to find one of her cohorts to be sitting in one, waiting for her. But as far as she could see, she saw no one. But that didn't mean that no one was out there and Ziva was certain that she was being watched.

But she wasn't going to worry about that now as she hurriedly shut the door, locked it and dived into the bag to retrieve the bagel and coffee. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until she saw the food and she began to eat it with gusto, sipping at the steaming hot coffee to wash it down her still tender throat.

As she took another sip, Ziva's mind worked overtime. Had it been Gibbs or Tony that had left the bag? She didn't think it had been Tim, or Abby. Somehow she knew deep in her heart that it had been either Tony or Gibbs – probably Gibbs in reality. Gibbs would have known that she wasn't ready to face Tony yet, especially after what had happened at the hospital. She'd made an absolute fool of herself, she knew that now. And she'd hurt Tony, too and she had no way of taking back what she'd said to him. But then, did she really want to retract what she'd said?

Her hand crept up to her chest and touched the bandaging that still covered her wounds. No, she didn't want Tony to see her. She was ugly and soiled. Amit had ruined her for any other man. That she wasn't supposed to have lived was beside the point. Either way, he had ensured that no man would ever want to see her naked again, whether she was dead or alive.

She had to go. She had to leave Washington DC. If she didn't, Tony would find her, she was sure of that, if he hadn't done so already. Realizing that she couldn't risk going out through the front door, Ziva looked around the small hotel room for another exit. She found only one, the bathroom window – again. Studying its size with trepidation, Ziva contemplated how much it would hurt to climb through it. She'd been lucky to have gotten a ground floor room, so she knew she had no problems on the other side, but, damn it, did she want to do it?

Hell, yes, she had no choice, not really. She couldn't risk it being Tony waiting for her out front, and she knew someone _was _out there somewhere. Grabbing her meager belongings, Ziva opened the window and began to shimmy her battered body through it.

She'd gotten about half way when she became aware that someone was watching her. Startled chocolate brown eyes finally rose and settled upon a pair of smiling green ones. Tony stood on the corner of the building leaning against the wall, his ankles and arms crossed as he watched her struggle through a window that was barely bigger than her hips.

"You could have just used the front door, Zee; it would have been a lot less hassle."

Ziva's body wilted and she looked a pitiful sight hanging from the window at the waist. But even so, her tone was sassy when she bit back at him. "That I would have done, _if_ you hadn't been waiting for me, DiNozzo."

So, she was still mad at him. Tony sighed, hurt by her tone. "Want some help?" he asked, somehow expecting her to refuse him, unsurprised when she did.

"No, I do not. I want you to leave me alone. Go back to the office, Tony, and leave me be. I don't need you. I do not need anyone."

Tony's heart fell as he watched her begin to struggle to free herself from the window, her words cutting him to the quick. He knew it was pain that was clouding her mind, and embarrassment, but damn it all, she was going to do herself harm if she wasn't careful. Tony lasted all of 30 seconds before he pushed himself away from the wall, walked over to her, slipped his hands beneath her arm pits and gave her the elevation that she needed to wriggle free.

But as soon as her feet hit the ground she rounded on him. "Damn you! I said I didn't want or need your help. Why can't you just leave me alone?" She yelled as she struggled to hold onto the tears that filled her eyes and her rapidly crumbling resolve to let the man she loved go.

Tony didn't know what to do as he watched her spin away from him and begin to walk away. He took one step to follow her, but stopped short when she spun on her heels to face him again, her face wet with her tears, her eyes spitting fire as she tried once more to make him leave her be. "Go away, Tony. I am not going to marry you, not now, not ever. Can't you get that through your thick skull, you damned…IMBESIL?"

Tony reeled back from the vehemence in Ziva's attack. He didn't need to translate her one word of whatever language it was she'd used. She'd called him an imbecile! And he'd just brought her a bagel and coffee, ungrateful brat!

"Fine!" he yelled after her as she stomped away from him as quickly as she could. "See if I care! Go get into more trouble. Just don't come running to me afterwards, stupid dumb broad!"

Tony watched as Ziva disappeared around the corner and an instant later he was after her. What had he done? She was right, he was an imbecile. But, God, he didn't want to hurt her! He wanted to help, God damn it! She'd been through so much and he was treating her as though she'd had little more than a telling off. She'd been raped and tortured and scarred for life. Ziva had every right to be pissed at him and the rest of the world, if she felt like it, and she obviously did.

Ziva hadn't gotten more than ten yards before Tony skidded to a halt in front of her pulling her own fleeing feet to a halt. Exasperation clouded her features as she searched his eyes for something that she couldn't fathom. He cared about her, she could see that, even if she didn't want to acknowledge it, but her situation, her fatigue, her pain, and her need forced her to accept whatever he was offering her, she didn't seem to have much choice _but_ to accept Tony's help, and the knowledge finally brought her to her knees.

Tony watched in fascination as shame and failure slipped over her features and then her beautiful eyes filled with tears and her lips trembled as all those emotions collided and finally, at last, Ziva let go. Her chin dropped to her chest, her defeat echoing with the gut-wrenching, high-pitched wail that slipped from between her lips as she gave in to the misery that seemed to be consuming her very soul.

Ziva was hurting, so damned much and Tony, instantly forgetting everything that she had just screamed at him, pulled her into his arms and held her against his solid body and let her spill it all out of her system.

Minutes later he gently swung her up into his arms and carried her back to the room that she had just vacated, grateful that she hadn't yet handed back the key. Closing the door behind them and locking it, Tony carried her over to the unmade bed and lay her down upon it. Ziva's whimper of protest as he released her from his embrace was quickly assuaged when he simply shucked off his shoes and his jacket and then climbed back onto the bed and pulled her back into his arms.

Ziva immediately curled up along his length and settled with a sigh. It seemed unnecessary for Tony to gently kiss the top of her head and tell her to sleep as it quickly became apparent that was what she'd intended to do anyhow, and as Tony had spent an equally crappy night crunched up in his car down the street, he didn't hesitate to slip into the grateful abyss of sleep along with her. He'd deal with the matter of her refusal to marry him later, much later.

tbc...


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter twenty three

A loud rapping on the door woke Tony from the best sleep he'd had for a long time. It must have been purely because of the woman curled up by his side, he rationalized. At last, he'd gotten Ziva right where he'd wanted her; in his bed, in his arms.

The room was in darkness as he reluctantly opened his eyes, a testament to how fatigued he'd really been. Slipping quietly out of the bed so that he didn't wake the still sleeping woman beside him, Tony padded over to the door, shivering with the unaccustomed chill in the room.

Opening the door a crack, his eyes screaming in protest as the lamp outside lit the porch area like a beacon, Tony could only make out the outline of the man standing outside the door. But even if Tony couldn't see his face, there was no mistaking who it was. Gibbs.

"Boss?" Tony asked, his face scrunching up in confusion.

"You lose something, DiNozzo?"

Tony blinked, his eyes finally beginning to focus as he slowly registered that there were indeed two people standing on the welcome mat and not just one. Gibbs had his prisoner held tight by the upper arm so that she didn't take flight.

Ziva.

Tony's eyes swung back to the lump in the bed, not quite believing that she could do it to him again. Flicking on the light, Tony could plainly see that what he'd been cuddled up close to was, in fact, a strategically placed pillow.

_Damn!_

He stepped back as Gibbs moved past him, dragging his unwilling attachment with him. "Found her hugging the shadows. Don't know where she was going, but I figured you didn't either, considering I'd told you to keep an eye on her," Gibbs accused.

"I don't need one eye watching me, Gibbs, or even two," Ziva sulked as she wrenched her arm out of his hands and threw herself into the only chair in the room. "I am a free citizen of America. I can go where I please."

"Sure you can, Ziva," Gibbs agreed. "You're just not going anywhere without DiNozzo, and the sooner you get that into your pretty little head, the easier it will be, for all of us."

"I want to be left alone, Gibbs. I do not need Tony or anyone else looking out for me." Ziva couldn't hold her anger back, knowing that she was battling for her own sanity. She desperately needed to escape so that she could lick her own wounds, think about what she was going to do with the rest of her life, and then somehow let Tony go. She couldn't be the woman he wanted her to be, not now. Amit had destroyed every aspect of her life and despite Tony's pledge the he would love her no matter what, Ziva couldn't let him love her - wouldn't let him love her.

Once he'd seen her scars – and she wasn't about to let that happen any time soon – she was sure that he would run a mile. Tony was a man that loved beauty, in all its forms. All his past girlfriends wouldn't have looked out of place on a catwalk. None had flaws, none were murderers, and none loved him any more than she did, but still, she had to let him go, she simply had to, for her own peace of mind.

But it seemed that even Gibbs was pushing them together. Whatever happened to rule # 12? Was he going to willingly let them become a couple and possibly break up the team? Ziva didn't think so. They were a good team - the best. There was no way that Gibbs would encourage a relationship between her and Tony.

Would he?

"I gave you my resignation, Gibbs. No one is beholden to me any longer. I am free to go wherever I choose, and without a damned chaperone."

Gibbs moved to the bed and sat down as he appeared to contemplate his response. "That's true, Ziva," he agreed, "but I would be happier if Tony tagged along. You owe me a big favor, Ziva. Consider doing this, for me, if not for yourself. I promise DiNozzo will behave himself, and if he doesn't, then he'll have me to deal with."

Tony blustered beside him until Gibbs sneakily threw him a wink, silently asking him to go along with whatever he was doing. Tony fell silent for a second before responding with his own apprehensions thrown into the mix. "I'm not exactly thrilled about it either, Ziva. I don't relish the idea of going on a manhunt every damn night. My damned life is beginning to mimic Groundhogs Day."

Ziva groaned. He had to get a movie reference in there somewhere, he just had to. His entire life seemed to revolve around a movie somehow, and today's was Groundhogs Day. Ziva's memory flipped through what she remembered about the film, trying to figure what Tony was getting at. But then she remembered the ending; the happy ever after romance that had evolved from the situation and Ziva felt herself go cold.

Had that been what Tony was referring to; that after all the chasing she would end up in his arms, and his bed, and then they would live happily ever after? The concept frightened Ziva. How could Tony love her once he'd seen her body? How could he see beyond the scars and love her body as though it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen? He couldn't. How could he? And she couldn't allow herself to be hurt anymore. She simply could not take another rejection, and certainly not one on that scale. No, she was better off on her own, she was sure of it.

Tony watched Ziva's face with fascination. He'd been so glad that Hadar hadn't marked her beautiful features. Ziva was so classically perfect that to have had even one tiny flaw upon it would have been soul destroying. Her body she could hide away from the world, but not that face. That face was meant to be cherished and admired, as was her heart, and he did cherish her, with every ounce of his being. He just had to find a way to make her see that he wasn't going anywhere, ever. That one day they were going to become one, one way or another, come hell or high water. Tony wasn't going to let her get away from him again in a hurry. He was going to have to step up his game if he was going to win this battle, by fair means or foul.

Tony got up from his space beside Gibbs and made his way over to Ziva. Slowly, Tony dropped down to one knee before her and captured her chilled fingers. Uncaring that his superior officer was watching him avidly from the sidelines, Tony whispered clearly as he locked his gaze with hers, "Trust me, Ziva, just give me a chance. Give _us_ a chance, please?"

What could she say to such a precious request? Did she trust him? Only as much as she trusted the other man in the room, and that was completely. Gibbs too waited for her answer and he held his breath as Ziva looked deeply into Tony's eyes and saw nothing but love in the intent and hopeful emerald orbs.

Yes, she did trust him, with all her heart.

Her voice trembled when she spoke, but nobody noticed, or cared. "Okay, Tony."

A collective whoosh of air resounded around the room and both Ziva and Tony's surprised gaze turned expectantly towards Gibbs, but it was Tony who eventually broke the stunned silence.

"What now, boss?"


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter twenty four

As Tony and Ziva drove at a respectable pace out of the city, neither one of them could believe their luck; Three whole weeks. Gibbs had given them three whole weeks leave, and maybe more, if Ziva needed the time. Tony knew that Gibbs was relying on him to deliver her back into NCIS's embrace. Ziva was needed, and Ziva needed them, all of them. But she needed Tony the most for a little while.

It was a huge responsibility for the popular playboy, but he was prepared to change his life to include Ziva. He was acutely aware that he was going to have to treat Ziva with kid gloves, but, he loved her. With each passing hour, he fell more and more in love with her, and after a visit to the hospital to get her wounds checked and redressed, and then a further visit to their respective homes to pack a suitcase, they were on their way to the coast.

Tony had expected her to shun his help when they'd gone to the hospital and made sure he was nowhere nearby when she stepped nervously behind the screen before removing her upper clothing.

Tony stood watching the closed door, unable to move his feet until he distinctly heard a muffled whimper from within the room, the sound tearing at his gut. Forcing his feet to move, he went down to the cafeteria and stocked up on a selection of take away food and drinks to eat on their way to the cottage. They'd stock up properly once they got there and he was looking forward to standing side by side with her as they 'knocked up' something in the kitchen together.

When Ziva finally joined him she was subdued, but didn't hesitate to step into his arms when she reached him, releasing her shuddering breath against his throat as she snaked her arms around his waist in the middle of the waiting room. Tony was careful not to say anything and after a moment, led her out of the hospital, his arm still slung casually around her and then his fingers slipping to hers as he opened his car door for her, kissing their tips before releasing them and closing the door before walking around to his own.

Moments later they were on their way with a myriad of different emotions colliding within the car, but eventually, with the help of a decent station on the radio, those emotions and their bodies, settled down to enjoy the ride. By the time they'd reached the coast they were chatting almost just like they used to do, back before Hadar. Back before he ruined her life.

But then, as Ziva helped Tony unload the car, his easy grin melting her insides and making her genuinely smile as he wrestled the suitcase out of her hand, Ziva admitted that, without Hadar, she and Tony would still be dancing around with each other. Now the two of them had been given a second chance of loving, together.

tbc...


	25. Chapter 25

An extra one for today as these last two were a bit short. thanks for the reviews, guys. Lovely to know there's people out there reading my little tale :) And on we go...

Chapter twenty five

"Let me do this, Ziva."

"No."

"Come on, you can trust me."

"This isn't about trust, Tony, and you know it."

"I disagree. This is all about you trusting me, Ziva. What do you think I'm going to do? Scream and run away in disgust?"

Tony bit his tongue at his stupid words as he watched Ziva's dark eyes fill with tears. "I'm sorry, that didn't come out quite like I intended."

"I am disgusting so no need to apologize. However, I am still not going to let you do it." Ziva considered the repetitive conversation done with and turned away from the man standing before her, but not before snatching back the bag of medical supplies that the hospital had given her. But this time, when she reached the bathroom door to shut herself away from the world - and Tony - for the time it took to change her dressings, Ziva did not get the opportunity to close the door.

This time he followed her right on in and suddenly the bathroom became overcrowded. Tony's bulk hovered beside her, his defiance oozing from his masculine pores as he waited for the inevitable outrage to pour from her. Well, he wasn't going to take it this time. They'd been at the cottage for almost a week and he'd given her the privacy that she's craved, in and out of the bedroom. Spending their days walking along the beach, or curled up on the sofa watching old movies, the couple had forged an unbreakable bond between them.

But Ziva's outright refusal to let Tony help her with her dressings was still a sour point for them. But not tonight, tonight Tony wasn't going to take no for an answer. He knew that the sensitive issue was the reason that the relationship hadn't stepped over that crucial threshold that they needed to make to become more than what they were.

And they were friends. Good friends. The best of friends, but Tony needed more from her. He wanted her heart, body and soul. He was pretty sure he'd gotten her heart, and her soul, it was just her body that was missing from the mix.

Well, enough was enough.

"What are you doing, Tony?" Ziva asked uneasily, already knowing that she had pushed her luck too far. She recognized the determination written on his handsome face earlier on in the day and knew her luck had run out. Tony was hankering after more from her, but more meant revealing things that she didn't want him to see, especially while those things were still red and raw, twisted and ugly.

She felt herself go cold as Tony stepped closer still and she had to look up into his face. He didn't say a word as he reached down to her waist and gently took the edges of her sweater in his fingers. His eyes locked with hers and for the life of her, Ziva couldn't do or say anything to stop him from lifting the cream sweater up and over her head, carelessly throwing it at the clothing hamper tucked away in the corner.

Both Ziva and Tony held their breath as he ripped his eyes from hers and slowly let his gaze drift down her body. She still wore a cotton camisole that hid the bulk of her dressings, but she'd never felt so naked, or so scared, in her entire life.

She lifted her arms to cover herself but Tony moved at the same time and took her wrists in his gentle hands and replaced them back to her side. "Don't," he murmured thickly, his eyes lifting to meet hers again. "Ziva, you are so beautiful."

And at that moment in time, Ziva believed him. Her breath left her lungs on a nervous whoosh and she felt her body tremble with an emotion that she couldn't figure. Her fingers trembled as she lifted one hand to push her hair away from her face, and then suddenly embarrassment washed over her.

Tony watched her movements with curiosity, and desire. Didn't she know how beautiful she was? He wondered silently. Even half dressed and as jittery as hell, he still found her to be utterly desirable. But this night wasn't about him. This night was about dissolving another layer of doubt that still held Ziva captive.

His breathing was ragged as he reached down for the snap of her jeans and popped it open. Ziva visibly started at his bold, but relaxed movement as she realized he'd only released it to enable him to pull out the camisole that was tucked in. And then as he began to gently lift the camisole higher another wave of terror cascaded through her. But she fought it down as she became aware that they both needed this moment to happen. Ziva was astute enough to know that what was happening was a crucial link to her healing, on more than one level.

Tony needed to see her to help him understand what had happened to her body, and she needed him to see her to help her get over the same thing. If she was going to live in this world then she was going to have to accept that she was scarred, and she wanted to live, so much now. She wanted Tony. She wanted his love and his acceptance of who she now was. And she was Ziva David; a little older and a little more battle worn. But she loved Tony DiNozzo and she wanted to be the woman that he wanted her to be, and if that meant showing him her body, then so be it.

tbc...


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter twenty six

The camisole had gone the way of the sweater; discarded and forgotten. But instead of taking a step back to observe her body, Tony instead stepped closer and pulled her gently into his arms.

With her soft curves against him he felt himself harden in response. He dropped his large hands to her waist and held himself in check. But Ziva slipped her arms up to link her hands behind his neck and her eyes linked with his.

Her lips, so soft and inviting shattered any noble intentions he'd had. Knowing full well he shouldn't be doing it, nor meaning to do it, Tony was unable to stop himself as he lowered his head until his lips softly brushed hers.

He heard the quick inhalation of her breath, felt the rise and fall of her tender breasts against his chest as he waited for the inevitable resistance. But it never came. Instead she leaned further into him and turned her head in a more accommodating position, silently encouraging him to deepen the kiss.

Logic and reasoning deserted him as he brushed his tongue against her lips, triumphant as he felt them open for him. Gently he explored the moist heat of her mouth, savoring her sweetness, taking his fill for all that he'd been denied.

Ziva closed her eyes as she all but collapsed against him, letting her softness mold to his body. Her hands rose and buried themselves in his thick, glossy hair, sending a shiver of heated awareness throughout Tony's body.

A low moan of desire escaped his throat as he unconsciously tightened his grip on her waist and allowed the kiss to deepen. Tony had never quite felt the way that he did at that moment and the proof of it stirred deep in his belly, his loins and his heart. Ziva was so different to all the girls that had gone before, and after a lifetime of seemingly loneliness, it had only taken a second of the kiss with Ziva to know that she was the one for him.

He had finally found his soul mate.

The admission shocked him and he reluctantly broke away from her now swollen lips and gasped as though he'd run a marathon. Ziva didn't appear to be faring any better than he and he realized that she, too, had felt the connection between them. For a long moment they simply stood, arm in arm in silence, letting the depth of their feelings settle between them.

And then, and only then, did Tony allow his gaze to drop lower to her chest. She hadn't worn a bra beneath the camisole, but she might as well have done for what he could see of her breasts. Her dressings covered a large portion of her upper body, but even so, Tony could see the criss cross of where her scars lay. It had almost seemed as though Hadar had been tracing a path around her smallish breasts. They travelled in full arcs around the top of them and then around the dark centers in an uneven circle.

The eyes that rose to meet hers were not the same as those that had lovingly caressed hers barely a minute earlier and Ziva's heart broke as she pulled herself away from his hands, unable to take his pity for a second longer.

But he would not let her go. His voice was strangled when he spoke."I wish I had been the one to have killed the bastard, Ziva. I wish I had never let you escape from my place. I wish we could have found you before…before he did this to you. I….I…." he floundered as guilt consumed him.

Ziva stopped her flight when she realized that Tony hadn't been disgusted with what he'd seen. He was angry at just about everything else that had occurred before she'd gotten assaulted. He was blaming himself. None of this was Tony's fault, not one iota of it and before he knew what had hit him, Tony found himself back against Ziva's body as her mouth reached for his in a desperation that could no longer be denied by either of them.

Tony clasped her jaw in his hands as he took what she was offering. Her tongue darted between his teeth and he groaned with desire as it dived straight down to his loins. He pulled her against him and there was no mistaking his arousal as he gently gyrated against her. They were both going up in flames, aching to climb into each other's skin as their tongues danced the dance of entwining lovers.

Tony swept her up into his arms and carried her towards her bedroom. He laid her on the pale lilac comforter and leaned over her as he continued to plunder her mouth, his arms taut so that he didn't hurt her wounds. His arms shook with tension when all Tony really wanted to do was to crush her to him as he sunk into her begging body and he used every ounce of his dwindling willpower to keep himself in check.

Tonight wasn't about making love. The night was for breaking down barriers; letting him see her in her true light, and Tony was more than aware that he had still yet to see her in that vein. Gradually common sense nudged its way between them and Tony reluctantly pulled away from her grasping lips and arms.

But he didn't go far. In the darkening shadows of the room Ziva's bewildered eyes met his. Tony's smoldered with dark desire and she was sure that hers reflected his. She'd wanted him. Ziva had wanted Tony to strip away the last of the barriers and make love to her, but he'd clearly had other ideas, and as he began to tug the tight jeans down her legs, she realized that the moment of truth had really arrived. Would seeing her naked end the night before it had even begun?

tbc...


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter twenty seven

Tony's breathing was ragged as he sat on the edge of the bed and silently took in the sweet, enticing and somewhat nervous sight that lay before him. Ziva lay on her back and she was almost naked except for the miniscule white panties that covered her and the stark white dressings that still covered her wounds.

Ziva watched him from beneath lowered lashes, her body trembling from not only the aftermath of their heated kiss, but the worry of what was to come. She expected him to reach for the first of the dressings and remove it. What she didn't expect was for him to lift up one foot and gently kiss the tip of her painted candy pink toe nail.

Slowly but gradually, he made his way up the length of her body, placing feather-light kisses at every strategic place that he passed. She'd held her shaky breath when he'd gotten close to the very core of her, but he bypassed it neatly by rising higher and twirled his tongue in her belly button instead. Her body quivered with desire and longing, and an ache that she never thought she would feel again coursed through her right to her very soul and she fought to reach for his hair and tug him to where she really wanted him to go, but instead gripped the comforter beneath her with both hands until the feeling passed.

Tony still blazed a path along her trembling body, tenderly placing kisses upon the dressings, tracing their path as though it were her own breast that was receiving the delicious attention. He licked the pulse at her throat and nibbled a path along her jaw line, until at last, he touched his lips to hers in a kiss that held only reverence.

His own lips quivered as he drank in her very essence, tracing their fullness with the tip of his heated tongue. She tenderly opened for him and he gently slipped inside, exploring, tasting her unique sweetness and Tony fell in love with her just a little bit more when he heard the quiet whimper as he reluctantly dragged his mouth from hers.

Then, and only then, did he finally sit and look at her as a patient. His eyes held hers as he reached nervous fingers for the first of the dressings and gently began to pull it off. One by one Tony removed them all and by the time he'd finished, the tears were streaming from Ziva's eyes and running down her temple and into her hair.

Tony hated hurting her but they both knew it was something that had to be done. He needed to see the scars and she needed him to accept that she was no longer perfect.

But Tony hadn't really seen the scars. Oh, they were there and they were horrible; still raw and pink, the stitches bold and ugly against her once almost flawless olive skin. Instead his eyes had only seen what they'd wanted to see. Ziva's perfectly formed, exquisite breasts. They weren't big by any stretch of the imagination, but even so, they were perfect. The dark, dusky-pink tips were puckered with want and he made himself think they were only that way because of him. Because he wanted her, and only her. Because he loved her.

Unable to resist the pull, Tony slowly lowered his head and took one quivering nipple into his mouth and suckled on it gently. Ziva's body shuddered with emotion as one hand rose to cradle his head against her. She gasped with dismay when he released it and then sighed with pleasure when he afforded the other nipple to the same treatment until reluctantly he stopped when fear and desire swamped his very being, Another minute and he knew that he'd have been stripping his own clothes off and giving her what her eyes and her beautiful body were aching for.. He'd gone far enough for one night. This night, this moment, hadn't been about seduction. It had been about reassuring Ziva that she was still desirable.

And she was, so, so much. So much that his body throbbed with unquenched desire. Moments later, Tony had retrieved the bag of dressings from the bathroom and one by one he began to replace the ones he'd removed. The silence that hung between them was a little uneasy, but somehow, in another way, they were more comfortable with each other because they'd finally gotten over that one last monumental hurdle. And after Tony had slipped the pale pink flimsy cotton nightgown over her head and tucked her into bed, he'd then tenderly kissed her goodnight and walked out of her room without a backward glance, firmly closing the door behind him. Shutting out temptation and the sight of her watching him with her dark, sensual, wanting eyes.

Damn, he wasn't made of stone and Ziva was slowly driving his body insane. This was new to Tony; this art of waiting, and wanting.

Ziva's whispered, "Thank you," went unheard as she watched him go. She'd understood that he'd needed to go. The first hurdle had been enough for one night, for both of them. But tomorrow night, she intended to step over another one, and Tony DiNozzo was going to step over it with her. She was ready for him, Ziva was sure of it. Only she figured that Tony might be struggling with the concept. Now that she'd finally gotten over her initial shyness, and shame, with Tony's help, Ziva was aware that to move beyond their fragile friendship she was going to have to let Tony in, completely. Heart, body and soul.


	28. Chapter 28

Thanks for the lovely reviews, some of them have been wonderful :). This is the last 'mild' chapter before we step up the heat. Hope you're all grown ups :)

Chapter twenty eight

Tony woke and felt like a different man. He lay on his back and stared up at the ceiling remembering the events of the night before. He'd done it. He'd succeeded in allaying Ziva's fears once and for all and now all they had to do was become a couple in all its nuances.

Tony's body grew warm with need as he ran his mind through his first taste of Ziva David. Her kisses had scorched his soul and her body, her breasts, had been all that he'd wanted them to be. The scars hadn't mattered one jot. He knew that they would heal in time, would disappear along with the hideous memories associated with them and he was going to make darned sure that she could do so because he was going to love her with every bit of his being.

Starting with tonight. Tonight he had plans. Tonight he was going to wine and dine his little Ninja chick and then he was going to torment her until she fell apart in his arms. What he hadn't decided on was whether he was going to spend the rest of the night in her bed. Staying with her was likely to induce a level of seduction that he didn't think she was quite ready for. It was going to kill him to climb out of her bed and go to his own, but he would do it, for her.

But first, he had to get up, get showered and then treat her to breakfast in bed. He loved to stand and watch her sleep. It had become an integral part of his daily routine. Just watching her face, relaxed and at peace soothed his soul. The first couple of nights they'd been at the cottage, Ziva's face had had that awful pinched, tormented look about it, and he didn't doubt that she had nightmares. Not the kind that reduced you to a blubbering wreck, but the haunted, empty and lost kind.

Slipping into the bathroom, Tony set the shower to heat and brushed his teeth while he waited for it to warm up to a respectable level. He'd made the mistake of stepping into it on his first morning there only to find it stone cold. He'd screamed like a girl, but he'd been blessed for his stupidity by a laugh of perverse delight from his new roommate. It had been good to hear her laugh, it had been too long.

He sang considerably off key as he scrubbed his body, lathered his face and shaved under the steaming heat. He felt good today, real good. He'd felt he'd been given the moon to keep and he didn't have to ever give it back. He'd finally got the woman he loved to believe in him and that was as good as finding a pot of gold.

Tony whistled as he prepared a breakfast tray; coffee, croissant, jam, honey and juice. Feeling particularly good about life, he slipped the tray onto one palm, waiter style, gave her door a cursory knock and entered with the biggest smile he could muster.

But that smile soon faded when he spied the empty bed. Tony couldn't believe his eyes. She'd done it again. Ziva had skipped out on him and the knowledge hurt him far more than anything he'd endured over the past couple of weeks. He'd thought they'd cracked it. He'd thought that she'd genuinely wanted to be with him. That she loved him.

Obviously he'd gotten it wrong, again. He dropped the tray onto the bed and forced himself to be rational. Taking stock of the room Tony realized that her things were still there. Her nightgown was tucked under her pillow, her bed was made but her shoes and jacket were missing.

Tony hadn't noticed how much his shock had affected him until he let go the pent up breath he had been unconsciously holding and it shuddered free of his body leaving him a quivering wreck.

So this was love. Besides all the loving there was anguish and terror, jealousy and loss. He didn't like any one of the emotions that he was currently experiencing. It had to be down to the aftermath of last night. They had shared a precious, intimate time together and Tony had wrongly figured that today would just carry on in the same way.

How wrong he'd been. That she'd wanted to go for a walk without him seemed to speak volumes to him. He'd been so looking forward to spending that time with her that his jealousy spilled into petulance. Picking up the tray again, he stomped into the lounge, flipped on the morning news and resolutely began to eat her breakfast. That he'd already eaten his before he'd made hers didn't matter. He just did it for spite.

Tony was still sitting there sulking, his eyes glued to the big screen when she returned some half an hour later. Ziva knew he was upset before she'd even shut the door and now regretted stepping out without him.

She had woken hours before, having had her first good night's sleep since her assault and it had all been thanks to the man that currently sat with his back to her. Ziva had snuck into Tony's bedroom to see if he was awake, but on seeing him still dead to the world, she'd decided to go down to the beach alone. She hadn't gone far, but it had done wonders for her soul and she couldn't wait to get back to Tony.

Slipping off her jacket, Ziva walked across the room. She bent and stretched her arms around his neck from behind, sliding her fingers down and inside his open necked shirt to caress his hair covered chest. Her simple, "I'm sorry," and her loving touch had been all that was needed for Tony's anger to melt and his own hands lifted to settle upon hers.

Turning his face to meet hers, Tony accepted the apology with the kiss that she offered."That's okay," he murmured, "I just got worried about you for a while."

Ziva hadn't considered that Tony would think she'd run out on him again, not after last night. Last night had dissolved any thoughts of ever leaving him again. Ziva was now looking forward to exploring her relationship with Tony. They both deserved that after everything that had happened, and she couldn't wait for him to make her totally his.

His sulky voice cut into her musings. "I ate your breakfast."

Ziva grinned against his hair, his admission lightening the moment and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that he'd eaten it out of spite rather than hunger. "You'd better go and make some more then, hadn't you? You know what I'm like when I'm hungry."

The double edged comment didn't go unnoticed and Tony growled as he pushed himself to his feet and made his way around the sofa. He slipped his arms around her and ground his hardening loins against her. "So you're hungry, are you, Miss David? Hmmmm, I wonder what I can find to satisfy that need," he growled, his humor lighting his eyes with mischief.

He'd promised himself that he was going to take it nice and slow with her, but damn it, he could only take so much teasing and she was pushing him to the edge of his limit.

Ziva swung against him, her own arms laced around his waist as she relished in the power that she held over him. But then just as quickly, she swung away from him and headed towards the kitchen and he followed her like a lovesick puppy.

He groaned out aloud when she bent before him to inspect the contents of the fridge, her slender derriere swaying with sexual intention. Tony had to mentally kick himself upside the head to stop him from going over to her to rub his body against hers. But he sure as hell would have liked to have done just that.

Despite Ziva's attempt to become her normal, sassy self, Tony's gut was telling him that it was still too soon. He had a hunch that if he actually took her into his bedroom and did what he'd wanted to do to her from day one, she would either run screaming from him, or she would go into meltdown.

Tony liked neither prospect. Nope, he was going to have to bide his time. He intended to court Ziva David 'the old fashioned way' and he just hoped to hell that she didn't keep tormenting him otherwise he was going to go mental with need.

tbc...


	29. Chapter 29

Here we go! Hold onto your hats!

Chapter twenty nine

Tony flipped over onto his side as he tried to get himself comfortable. Seconds later he rolled over onto his back again and resumed his perusal of the ceiling. Damn he was horny.

Ziva had tormented and teased him to the very brink so many times during the day that he'd finally resorted to the pretense that he was dog tired just so he could escape to the safe sanctuary of his room.

And now he lay there, at 11.00 at night, still wide awake, hot and needy. He'd heard Ziva going through her own bedtime routine just half an hour ago and he felt bad at not seeing her safely tucked up in her bed. It had become the norm for them and they'd both cherished the few minutes that he spent with her in her room making sure that she was settled and okay for the long night ahead.

God, how he wished she'd come and do the same for him, just this once. With one hand tucked behind his head, his other hand slipped over his heated and naked body. His fingers brushed over the throbbing hardness that had suddenly become the bane of his miserable existence and he wished he could just take himself in hand and rid himself of the ache that had settled low in his loins round about the time when she'd bent over to look in the fridge.

Nope, he couldn't do it. He needed a woman's touch. Damn it, he needed Ziva's touch, just this once. But, damn it, he wouldn't inflict that kind of pressure upon her fragile shoulders. He'd figured that it would be a long time before Ziva could take a man into her body again.

But, oh, God, Tony so wanted to be the one to take that last step with her. He so wanted to be the one to show her that making love was a beautiful thing between a man and a woman in love. And they were in love, he surmised. Yesterday's revelations had blown him away. He'd wanted so much to take her to heaven and back again, but she wasn't ready for him yet.

And so, here he was, lying naked in bed, aching for the woman in the next room. Resolutely, Tony jammed his other hand behind his head and interlaced his fingers with its mates. Frustration ate at his soul and he longed for the night to end, because in the morning, he would get to see her again. He would get to spend another day by her side, watching her come back to him, little by little.

"Ziva," he whispered to the moonlight that filtered through the curtains as they drifted apart with the breeze. And then he heard the door handle turn. His breath caught in his throat as he watched it open and she stepped into the room. She looked ethereal in the moonlit shadows as she slowly walked towards him.

If his life had depended on it, Tony could not have moved as he followed Ziva's steps until she stood over him. Her long, wild hair was free of restraints and clouded around her features and shoulders. Her short just above the knee nightgown was snowy white and almost virginal, but God, she looked so completely hot to him that she stole his breath away.

Tony felt himself grow harder still beneath the covers and his entire body went taut with tension and need. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say to her to make her stay – or was it to make her go away? He just didn't know and it killed him.

Ziva slowly lowered her body to sit on the edge of his bed, turning her face towards him. Her smile was bewitching as she reached out a hand and trailed her fingers along the underside of his arm which was still tucked under his head. Her eyes locked with his as she continued a path that led along his chest, across his collar bone and then up to cup his jaw. Tony struggled to keep himself still as he spoke quietly to her. "What are you doing, Ziva?"

As her hand dropped to his chest and she twirled her fingers amongst the hair that lay there, her voice was as quiet as his when she answered him. "I want to know your body, Tony. I may not be ready to make love to you…yet, but I want to get to know you. Will you let me do that, Tony?"

Tony swallowed thickly, pulled one hand from behind his head and pushed the thin coverlet lower, exposing his body to his navel. He figured she'd know what to do and where to go from there. "Sure," he murmured, "knock yourself out."

It had meant to come out more flippant than it did, but his nerves had gotten a stranglehold on his vocal chords and made it sound sexual, wanton, and a little desperate, which was more like the Tony Ziva knew and loved and she couldn't resist the low, sexy chuckle that slipped free from her lips, lightening the moment just for an instant.

But all lightness vanished as Ziva continued her exploration of Tony's torso. His chest rose and fell as he struggled to breath, waiting for the inevitable to happen. Hoping the inevitable would happen. He wanted her to touch him, so damned much.

She trailed a long nail down the centre of his body and on reaching his navel, swirled her finger around it making Tony clench his muscles in reaction to the intimate movement. His breath took a hitch and Ziva couldn't resist leaning across to sip at his lips.

"Close your eyes, Tony," she whispered against his mouth before tracing the shape of his lips with her tongue. His eyelids were shut before she'd finished asking. Tony began to feel as though he'd died and gone to heaven as he felt her hand flatten out and continue south just as her tongue swept into his mouth.

Tony's hand snaked around to cradle the back of her head as she continued to devour his senses. What had he ever done to deserve this woman? He wondered. Why had he been blessed with Ziva's love?

But then all rational thoughts and questions fled as he felt her cool fingers wrap around him. His guttural grunt was swallowed by the deep throated kiss she leashed on him at the same time and his body lurched upwards in its own rendition of shock and desire. Oh, God, he'd wanted this moment for so long, had waited for this moment for so long and now she was there, in his arms, kissing like a well versed hooker as her scorching fingers gripped his pulsing manhood.

He _had _died and gone to heaven, he was certain of it now.

Tony lasted only seconds after Ziva had touched him, exploding into her manipulating hand before he'd even really got going. Euphoria crashed over him as his entire body pulsated with release. His lips tore away from Ziva's and he gasped with exhilarated shock. Tony had never been more grateful for the darkness that surrounded them and embarrassment cascaded through him soon after as he hauled his body away from her, curling his long body into a fetal position as he waited for the aftermath of his powerful release to abate.

Tony felt Ziva lift from the bed and instantly he felt relief that she'd left him alone with the overwhelming numbness that had taken a grip on his body and his senses. But seconds later she was back. Sitting back down and tugging on his shoulder until he had no choice but to turn and face her in the dimness, Ziva leaned across and placed a gentle kiss against his lips whilst her hand searched for his. Finding it tucked protectively against his stomach, she tucked a warm wet washcloth into his damp palm.

For a moment Tony was mortified that Ziva was doing something so…so…cringe-worthy, but then he heard her light-hearted whisper against his ear.

"Tomorrow night, DiNozzo, it's my turn."

And then she was gone and Tony was left to pick up the pieces of his scattered emotions. He'd never had an experience like it. He'd never been taken over so completely in the love making game, and he found that he rather liked it – now that his aching body had been sated, it wasn't long before he drifted off to sleep, the smile on his face lasting through till the next morning.

But when tomorrow night came Tony was going to give Ziva a taste of what she'd given him.

tbc...


	30. Chapter 30

Last of the teasers, I promise ;)

Chapter thirty

After an unnaturally quiet breakfast with each casting embarrassed glances at one another across the small table, finally Ziva snapped, figuring that she would need to be the one to dispel the awkwardness that had crept in between them.

"Tony, we are both consenting adults, yes?" Startled, Tony nodded warily as he lowered his coffee cup to the table at her sudden attack before she continued. "And, are we not entitled to have a little…fun?"

This time he frowned as he rewarded her with the same nod, releasing his trembling fingers from the mug before he spilled its contents. "Last night, I sensed that you needed me. Am I not correct?" She continued relentlessly.

And yet again Tony nodded, a hint of pink rose to his cheeks at her straightness, but still Ziva pushed on, swinging away from him to pick up the breakfast dishes. "And did I not satisfy you, Tony?"

Tony gulped as he stood and followed her into the kitchen, intrigued with her ability to bring things that needed to be said or done out into the open. He automatically picked up the drying cloth as she began to wash the dishes, taking them from her fingers one by one and he muttered huskily, "Yeah, you did."

"And so, tonight, do you have a problem providing me with the same pleasure?" Tony felt himself flame again, the dish rattling on the work top as images flickered through his head of her writhing beneath his fingers as they hunted for heaven, and then found it. Was he going to have a problem reducing Ziva to the same quivering wreck that she'd left him in just a few scant hours before?

_Hell, no._

Ziva patiently waited for his answer, watching Tony's face as it flickered back and forth with a myriad of different emotions. She'd recognized wariness, shyness, embarrassment, even desire, but none of those were the one she wanted to see. She needed his humor.

Tony was renowned for reducing tense moments with a smattering of his own, unique humor. It was one of Tony's more endearing traits, although there had been other times when she'd caught him watching her and she'd melted at the intense expression. It had been as though he was trying to see beneath the cool façade that she portrayed to the rest of the world. Tony seemed to be the only one that knew she was hiding behind it and he was giving her that same look now; dark, brooding, sexual, the second dish held between his fingers being wiped a lot longer than it had needed as he watched her with those brooding and beautiful moss-green eyes.

What was going through his mind? She wondered. Last night she had lain in her own bed across the hall from Tony's reliving his annihilation at her hands. Ziva had been surprised at how quickly he had risen to the dizzying heights of passion, and then she thought back to what she'd seen tucked beneath his bed in his own home; the magazines that had told her much more about Tony DiNozzo than anything that he'd bragged about since she'd known him.

But then, maybe, she considered as she left him standing in the kitchen pondering on her sudden confrontation, maybe he really was crazy about her. Being in love and lust was a powerful combination and they were both in the early throws of it. Ziva was looking forward to the time when they would ultimately become the couple that they were destined to be.

Sure, Amit had thrown a major spanner in the works, but Ziva was confident that Tony could push through the invisible barrier that she had erected to shield herself from completely disintegrating. Her head, her heart, her body and soul longed for Tony to reclaim what was rightly his, and he would, eventually, she was sure of it. Last night had been the start. Tonight would be another step forward – a major step for her - and she just hoped that Tony would recognize her need to replace Amit's touch with his own.

But first she had to lighten the mood that now hovered between them. Tony seemed embarrassed to face her this morning. Or was he worrying about tonight? She wondered as she sat and pulled her sneakers on. Tony finally snapped to attention as he watched her prepare to go out, making his feet move to the kitchen doorway, feigning nonchalance, and failing when even he heard the slight anxiousness in his question.

"Going somewhere, Zee?"

Ziva pushed herself back to her feet and reached for her handbag, searching its contents as she answered him. "Yes, we're going shopping."

Shopping? Why did they need to go shopping again? They'd already stocked up on everything they needed to get them through the next few days. "What for?" he asked in puzzlement.

Ziva's smile was secretive as she turned to him, slowly stepping closer to him so that she wouldn't miss his reaction when she answered him. "Massage oil, maybe some jello. I'm quite partial to squirting cream, too," she said huskily as she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his mouth which hung open in shock. Turning away from him, she added, "And I'm sure there are a few…things you'd like to add to the…list."

Within seconds he was trailing after her like a lost, excited puppy as she made her way out to the car, throwing him the car keys and then belatedly worrying that maybe he wasn't in a fit state to drive anywhere in his current befuddled state as he slipped into the driver's seat beside her, gripping the steering wheel with white knuckles as he struggled to regain his rampant thoughts. So the lady liked to get messy. He could handle that.

He hoped.

Oh, God, he really _did_ hope.

tbc...


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter thirty one

Tony was shaking with need and trepidation when he finally stepped through Ziva's bedroom door later that evening. After he'd showered he'd been unsure what to wear for his rendezvous with his housemate. Eventually he decided on nothing more than a pair of comfortable sweat-shorts, unsure at that point how the night was going to end for them both.

Unsure of how he was going to proceed with his seduction of his fellow NCIS buddy, Tony was a little apprehensive. How was he going to make her feel good when he couldn't go near at least half of her body because it was covered in surgical dressings? He was terrified of hurting her, but he was also terrified of not succeeding. He'd understood that tonight was to be an important part of her recovery and it was going to be down to him to take her beyond Amit's torture point, if he could.

He stepped further into the dimly lit bedroom towards her. She sat on the edge of the bed, her outline glowing in the dusky glow of the bedside lamp. Her face held the shadow of a smile, but her eyes held something more; need, and desire. Ziva wanted him, there was no doubt to that, and he needed her, probably even more so.

Slowly Tony sat beside her and his fingers found hers and squeezed them, silently reassuring her. Ziva shivered slightly as she leaned over and laid her head against Tony's arm. Unable to resist the pull of her mouth, Tony slowly leaned in and settled his cool lips upon hers and Ziva's relieved sigh caught in her throat. This was what she'd waited for and as her hand reached up to caress his smooth jaw line, Ziva finally let herself relax knowing that Tony was going to do his absolute best to make her feel good.

Tony drank in his fill of her luscious mouth, tasting the cool mint of her toothpaste as his tongue swept into her mouth, gently easing her back down to the bed at the same time. The hand that had only moments ago cradled his face in a gentleness that awed him, slipped round to cradle the back of his head, her fingers curling through his hair as she marveled at its softness.

Once he was sure that he'd relaxed her, Tony found himself slipping to the floor to kneel between her legs, his mouth tearing away from hers only to land upon her throat, and then down onto her slender collar bone. Inch by inch, Tony sipped his way carefully down her body, dodging the invasive dressings as he went. His hands gently spanned her rib cage as he held her to him, her own hands resting on his shoulders, gently pushing, willing him to go lower, and then lower still.

Tony swirled his tongue around her belly button and Ziva's body trembled violently with need. She gasped moments later when she felt his loss, her eyes flying open only to find him reaching for something that sat on her bedside table. She smiled as she watched his hands flitter between the selection of items that sat waiting, the smile turning to a sultry grin when he finally made his choice; good old fashioned baby oil.

Seconds later he'd flipped the top open and her stomach lurched as he dribbled a small amount into the belly button that his tongue had explored only moments before. This time when he touched her it was with his hands as he began to work his magic, his soft murmurs setting fire to her soul.

The more Tony blazed a trail over her skin the more Ziva squirmed beneath his kneading fingers. He drowned in her unique scent as it silently begged for him to seek and destroy, but Tony deliberately avoided the one place that she wanted him to touch. She still wore the tiny white cotton panties that Tony had come to know as uniquely hers. It hadn't been the first time he'd seen her in them and he hoped it would never be the last. They represented her, in every sense of the word and he knew he would never see another pair without visualizing her wearing them.

He slid his fingers beneath the elastic edges to rub the slick oil into every inch of her trembling skin whilst she silently pleaded with him to touch her _'there', _but he wouldn't give in to the need. This night was about teasing and tormenting, no matter how much she tugged at his hair, or how hard she gripped his body with her long legs.

Tony slowly made his way down those long pins, refreshing the oil in his palm so that he could cover every miniscule part of them, right down to her tiny toes. Occasionally he touched his lips to her heated skin and she moaned to the heavens, begging for salvation.

Cradling her calf in his hands, Tony watched her for a long moment before asking in a not so steady voice, "Zee, are you able to turn over so that I can do your back?"

Ziva went stock still as she contemplated his question. Could she put herself in that same vulnerable position that Amit had enforced on her? Could she bear to have Tony, a man that she loved, touch her and not be repelled by his hands as they travelled paths that Amit had taken?

Tony watched her begin to shiver with remembrance and he kicked himself for being so insensitive. Quickly lifting himself he crawled up onto the bed staying on his knees, his arms straight so that he didn't hurt her until he climbed high enough to be face to face with her. His whispered, "I'm sorry, sweetheart, forgive me, forgive me, please," was full of regret at spoiling the intimate time they were sharing.

As he leant down and took her lips in an earth-shattering kiss that he hoped would wipe away all thoughts of the scumbag that had hurt her, one of Ziva's arms snaked around Tony's neck and the other trailed down his back until she reached the sexy curve of his ass, and then she pushed on him until he finally lie right against where she wanted him to be.

Tony lifted his face so that he could see her eyes, his voice gravelly as he struggled to hold himself in check. "Ziva, I thought we were keeping tonight light. You put me anywhere near you and I can't be responsible for my libido."

Ziva gently rocked against him reveling in the power that she was holding over him as she felt his own body fight against the age old movements, and then she felt him lose the battle when he dropped his hand to haul her ass closer still as he frantically tried to synchronize the jerky movements, eventually tipping them both onto their sides to lessen the impact upon her upper body, even if her breasts were reaching, screaming for Tony to touch them.

But then Ziva had a better idea when seconds later she rolled him over until she sat astride him and Tony could do little more than grasp her hips and ride the erotic wave along with her, her own hands covering his as she lifted her face to the ceiling, closed her eyes and let the sigh of her desire fill the air as she rode him as though he was embedded deep within her.

Tony could only watch in awed silence as Ziva lost herself to the magic of the sensation. His own pulsing hardness was crushed against her as it sought home. If only they'd both been naked, and if only he could reach for the breasts that he could see outlined against the stark white coverings that were keeping them hidden from his eyes. Instead, he could only close his own eyes, throw back his head and hold on for the strangest, and the most arousing, ride that he'd ever experienced with a woman.

Barely moments passed when Tony felt her go almost stock still until only her hips still jerked against him as her climax rippled through them both. He opened his eyes and found himself watching the most erotic scene of his life as Ziva's face mouth fell open, her breathing, harsh, excited as the shock waves of her own desire cascaded throughout her body. Her eyes had been closed, but as the climax abated, her eyes slowly opened and found his.

Tony pulled Ziva tenderly down to him and kissed her reverently, silently thanking her for giving herself so totally to him after everything that had happened before. Tony knew that he would never feel the same way ever again, no matter what. Ziva belonged to him now, heart body and soul, and one day - one day soon, when they would ultimately become one Tony was going to ask her to marry him. Never in his entire existence had he been so sure of what he wanted, and he wanted Ziva David.

There was one final hurdle left for them both now, and as he gently settled her beneath the quilt and spent a few minutes kissing her goodnight before reluctantly leaving her to make his way to his own bed, Tony realized that they only had four days left of their break away from their real lives.

Just four days to make Ziva his, completely.

tbc...


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter thirty two

The intrusion of the ringing mobile phone was almost as unwelcome as realizing that Tony and Ziva had only one day left of their allotted time away. The ensuing days that had followed after that magical night had set the pattern for the rest of their stay. Their days had been spent walking hand in hand for miles along the shoreline, each learning about one other's past lives. Sometimes they went for a drive and other times they simply sat curled up together in front of the tv.

Their nights too had settled into a familiar pattern, but neither one greeted the morning alone anymore. Either Tony woke with Ziva cradling his body, or he woke curled up the length of her back, his arm slung protectively around her waist.

Tony grunted as he reached for the phone that sat on his bedside cabinet. The woman that lay curled against his back whimpered in protest as he eased himself away from her to take the call, half already knowing who would be on the other end of it.

"This had better be good, boss, otherwise my roomy is gonna be mighty pissed at you for waking her up at this ungodly hour."

Gibbs chuckled on the other end of the line. "Is that right, DiNozzo? Well, unlike you, some of us have been at work for the past two hours, which means it's long past time you two got your asses back here to help us out. You ready for that?"

Tony threw himself on his back tucking the drowsy woman beside him under his arm, inwardly groaning when her warm fingers slid through the hair on his chest to circle one long fingernail around one now taut nipple.

Instantly understanding what Gibbs was discretely asking him, Tony told him what he wanted to hear. "Yeah, we're ready, boss. Kinda missed the head slaps from you, and, of course, tormenting McGee. You miss us both, boss?"

Gibbs could hear the grin in his agent's voice and was happy to hear it. It meant that he'd succeeded in bringing Ziva back to the fold. For a while he didn't think the younger man was up to the job. Ziva had been in a bad way before they'd left for the coast and Gibbs hoped with all his heart that Tony would use his softer side to help her through.

But when Gibbs heard the distinctive sound of a kiss and unmistakable rustle of either clothing, or maybe sheets, he quickly ascertained that they were sleeping together. He couldn't resist asking that one burning question. "Are you two together now, Tony?"

It was several moments before Tony answered him and Gibbs could imagine Tony lying in bed with Ziva curled up against his side wondering whether to tell him the truth or not. He did.

"We are, boss."

Gibbs hadn't noticed that he'd been holding his breath until he let it go in a rush. "Ok," he said. "It's time to bring her home, Tony."

"I'm working on it. Got just one more day with her, boss, and then we'll be back."

"We'll be waiting." The phone went dead as Gibbs hung up on him.

Tony stared up at the ceiling as he snapped the phone shut and cradled it in his hands. Ziva pushed herself up onto her elbow, watching his face, waiting to hear what he had to say.

Tony's eyes turned to hers, his gaze steady, his words laced with sorrow when he eventually spoke. "They're all waiting for us, Zee. It's time to go home."

Ziva studied him silently as she absorbed his words; Home. Where was home? Was she going back to her lonely flat and her even lonelier life, broken only by a few treasured hours in the company of a group of people who had become her family? Or was she going back as Tony's woman? Were they going to carry on with what they had started here, or were they going to pretend that they were nothing more than the closest of friends?

Tony dropped the phone back onto the cabinet beside him and slipped his hands into Ziva's hair, threading his fingers through its long, luxurious length, his thoughts still clearly on his conversation with their boss.

Ziva leant down and gently touched her lips to his, the gesture intending to soothe his troubled thoughts, but instead only led to needing more - aching for more. Over the past week she and Tony had played a dangerous game of loving without love. They'd played, they'd teased and they'd tormented, but they had never loved. And Ziva knew she was ready for more now. Time was running out for them. They only had one day – today - to make some life changing decisions, for them both.

Were they going to become the couple that she wanted them to be?

Or was she prepared to go back to how it was before?

Or was she going to have to make choices that she didn't want to make, including moving on elsewhere? If Tony wasn't ready to commit to her, Ziva didn't think she could spend her days around him knowing that he didn't love her enough to make their relationship real.

The holiday had been a welcome relief for her bruised and battered body and its accompanying tortured soul. That Gibbs had let Tony accompany her had been a revelation, and a blessing. Ziva had learnt so much about the man she had come to love more than life itself, and even though he'd previously asked her to marry him, Tony hadn't mentioned one word about what they were going to do when they returned to normality. It was time she took the bull by the horns, if only to know where she exactly stood.

Did she dare?

She took a deep breath and dared.

"I want you to make love to me, Tony."

Tony's fingers stilled in her hair as his eyes locked with hers. "Ziva?" he questioned hoarsely, his eyes asking her a myriad of questions in answer to her one. What exactly was she asking of him? He didn't hesitate in answering them all to himself. He wanted to give her everything that she asked for, and more besides; He wanted Ziva's body, her love, and a commitment, because without it, he didn't think he could do what she initially asked of him.

Because Tony suddenly and desperately decided that he wanted it all now.

"Then marry me, Ziva. Marry me and I'll give you everything that you want."

Many heartbeats passed as Tony waited with bated breath for Ziva's answer, and Ziva was shocked into silence at Tony's sudden heartfelt proposal. She could feel his racing heartbeat beneath her hand as it lay upon his chest. Her body began to heat and throb with need and only a pair of jockey shorts and her own usual white vest and panties separated them, stopped them.

Tony was asking for the moon and all Ziva had to do was say yes, yes to it all. It was what she'd truly wanted, wasn't it?

Wasn't it?

Barely a second later, Ziva pushed herself to her knees, faced Tony head on, crossed her arms as they reached down to grasp the edge of her vest and then lifted it clear from her body, throwing it away from the bed. Only two days earlier, between them, they had removed the large dressings, leaving only a couple of plasters and steri-strips over the worst of the cuts, and afterwards, Tony had placed the gentlest of kisses on each and every one of her healing wounds. If there had been any doubt in her mind that her scars had repulsed Tony, then his reverence of her body had allayed each and every fear that she'd had.

He'd told Ziva that she was beautiful and she had believed him. And now, as she watched him raise his trembling hands to gently trace paths along places that his eyes had barely explored before, his eyes, dark and intense, smoldered for her. She moved to sit astride his lap, reaching for both of his hands, lacing her fingers between his, locking them together, sealing in the love that surged between them.

Slowly Ziva lowered her face until she was just a breath away. Tony held his own breath, mesmerized by what he saw before him, because, finally, at last, Ziva was giving herself to him, completely. He had been blessed.

Tony almost missed Ziva's whispered, "Yes, yes, Tony, I will marry you," as she swept her tongue into his mouth.

Tearing his lips away from hers a second later, Tony's heartbeat began to pound in his ears, uncertain that he'd heard her right. "Say that again."

Ziva chuckled, the joyous sound music to his ears as she squeezed his fingers tighter before pushing on them, pinning them to the pillow either side of his head as she punctuated her words before plundering his mouth again.

"Yes, Tony, I. Will. Marry. You."

And then, at long last, Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David well and truly broke Gibbs' infamous Rule # 12

Just one more to go...


	33. Chapter 33

Well, this is it, folks. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. Hope you enjoyed my little tale. Saved the best for last :)

Epilogue – Done Running

For the first time since Ziva's abduction Tony woke without trepidation. A little disappointed maybe after what they had shared the night before, but not to worry. He'd woken and found her missing from his bed, but this time he hadn't panicked.

Ziva hadn't run out on him again, he was sure of it. But, he did wonder at the unusual time as dawn had barely broken. The first shards of light stole through the fluttering curtains and he could hear the incessant calls of the resident birds outside, each and every one of them intent on waking the world.

Tony stared at the dented pillow beside him and smiled. They'd finally made love and his body was still humming in the aftermath of the mind-blowing experience. The feint scent of them both alongside the coconut massage oil that they'd used drifted up from the sheets and filled his senses making him wish that Ziva was there with him so that he could take her just once more before they left for Washington D.C..

Tony got up and slipped a pair of discarded boxers on. He visited the bathroom, brushed his teeth, tried to flatten his bed-tousled hair, admired his body in the mirror, somewhat pleased with himself that he still looked pretty fit for his age and then went to find Ziva.

He found her standing by the patio door staring out at the ocean. She looked lonely, he thought, beautiful, fragile, and so very lonely. It was a strange thing to think, especially now, but he still thought it, none-the-less. She'd pulled on her vest and panties and Tony thought he'd never seen a more evocative sight with her long hair tumbling down to the small of her slender back.

She must have sensed him standing by the door and turned her head to look at him. "I'm sorry if I woke you, Tony. I didn't mean to disturb you."

God, she even sounded lonely, Tony thought and he hoped with all his heart that she wasn't having second thoughts again about marrying him. Yesterday, after Ziva had said yes to his proposal, they'd finally stripped away the last of the barriers between them and had made the gentlest of love that Tony had ever experienced. It had been a magical joining, one that he'd never forget. After, he had held her in his arms as she'd wept.

He'd known deep down that she would cry and was ready for it. As the first sob had left her lungs he had kissed her, and he'd kept kissing her until the last sniffle had subsided. It had moved him in a way that he had never been moved before, confirming just how deep his love for her had become.

Tony moved further into the room and came to a halt behind the sofa. "You didn't disturb me, Ziva. I missed you. I've kinda gotten used to waking up with you attached to my side."

His attempt to lighten the moment fell short as Ziva turned her gaze back to the outside world. The next time Tony spoke she didn't move.

"What's wrong, Ziva"

At the small shake of her head Tony moved around the sofa and slowly moved towards her until he came to stand a foot or so behind her. All he had to do was reach out his arm to touch her, but he didn't. His gut told him that Ziva wouldn't want him to, not right then. And so he resisted against the pull.

"Are you worried about going home, about facing everyone?" he asked, worriedly.

Her silence and the tensing of her shoulders told him all he needed to know. Ziva was afraid. What Tony didn't know was _what_ she was afraid of. There was a whole pot of various scenarios that flitted through his mind but he had a hunch that it wasn't any one of those.

"Talk to me, Zee. Come on, before we head back. Let me help. Let me in."

Ziva dug her fingernails into her palms to stop her hands from reaching for him. Her voice, when she finally spoke was tinged with sadness. She'd clearly spent a while going over things. "Amit had a lot of friends, Tony."

Of all the things he expected her to say, that hadn't been one of them and the revelation scared him spitless as he took another step closer to her. "You think someone else will come and finish the job, Zee?

He watched her head nod in ascent and his heart plummeted. Tony had never considered the possibility that there would be others to follow in Hadar's footsteps. No way. No way in hell was anyone else going to get at her. He'd die first before he'd let that happen again.

Many heartbeats passed as he considered the options, not liking any of them as he stared at the back of Ziva's drooping head, fairly sure now that she was weeping. What did they do? Where did they go? Did they run, or did they stay and see it through to the end, only this time they would end it together?

Tony didn't know about Ziva, but he was sure as hell done running. He wanted to spend the rest of his days with the woman in front of him and preferably without the threat of a bullet hanging over her head. As far as he could tell they had two choices. They started a new life somewhere else, or they turned to their friends, their co-workers for help. Tony knew what he wanted to do, but the ultimate choice was down to Ziva.

His mind was still racing when Ziva finally turned, her cheeks awash with tears as she raised her arms and slipped them up around Tony's neck. Tony automatically slid his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. He expected her to nuzzle against his throat to seek the comfort that he was sure she needed. He didn't expect her to look into his eyes and say, "Make love to me, Tony, now." Then tightening her hold on him, she lifted her legs and locked them behind his back. Tony lifted her with ease. She'd lost weight over the past few weeks and was as light as a feather in his beefy arms. He could feel her molten heat against his stomach muscles and he hardened in response. One hand snaked around the back of her head to turn her face so that he could devour her mouth, the other hand slipped around to cradle her bottom, his finger tips teasing her through the cotton of her panties, her own heat scorching him, begging him to touch her.

Ziva's hands threaded themselves through the tumble of his hair as she poured everything she owned into the kiss. Tony felt his legs begin to buckle as desire soared through his body, heading to the part of him that now pulsed with need against her.

Taking a few tentative steps backwards until his calves touched the edge of the sofa, Tony somehow managed to lower himself onto it without disturbing their soul-soothing and earth shattering kiss that now deepened further still as Ziva realized that she was at last higher than he as she straddled him, her heat mindlessly stroking against his now that they both had full control of their bodies.

Tony barely skipped a beat when he reached down and tore off Ziva's vest, her own hands helping it on its way before reclaiming his head to pull his face to her chest, her breasts on fire and aching for his touch. Tony was ever mindful of the healing scars that laced them and even though Ziva seemed intent on him devouring her, Tony was as gentle as he could be as he took first one tip into his mouth and then the other.

Nectar, she tasted of pure nectar as he felt and heard Ziva's whimpers begging him for more as she continued to grind herself against him, her movements getting faster as her inner coil began to boil with an urgency mirrored only by his as he blazed a path over her fevered body until he slipped his hands into the elastic of her panties to cradle her soft ass, kneading it as she frantically rocked against him, yanking his mouth back to hers.

Tearing her mouth away from his barely a heartbeat later, she gasped, "Tony. God, Tony…Help me here." as she teetered on the edge of her release, stubbornly refusing to let go until he was embedded deep inside her. Reaching down, she impatiently tugged at his boxers until Tony obligingly lifted his body enough for her to slip them down far enough for him to kick them away from his feet.

Moments later Ziva too was divested of her own panties, and then they both seemed to come to a throbbing, waiting, full stop. Ziva slipped her hands back behind Tony's head, as his dropped to her tiny waist. Their eyes met and locked as something more profound, something more infinitely precious, passed between them. Their breathing became heavy - expectant until finally, slowly Ziva sunk her body onto Tony's erection until he was embedded as deeply as he could go inside her.

And then they began to rock, slow, slow at first, the movements were barely noticeable. But before long the tug of desire began to curl in their bellies and they began to gain momentum. Tony gripped Ziva's hips, changing the way she moved, making the sensitive nub brush against him ripping a moan of ecstasy from her lips as she dropped her chin to her chest, closed her eyes and became lost to the magic being ultimately created between them.

But it wasn't enough and seconds later Ziva shifted from her kneeling position to bring her feet up onto the cushion. Tony didn't think he could get any deeper into Ziva's body until she did that and he set free a moan that he felt ripple right down through him and into his cock, but it proved to be one movement too much for him as he felt himself begin the rising sensation of his imminent release a heartbeat later.

Ziva knew he was coming, felt it in the way he breathed, the incomprehensible hardening of his already rock hard cock pulsing inside of her. The way his eyes widened as they stared at her with disbelieving shock, the knowledge of power goading her own body to fly with him as a guttural sob of joy hit her with the force of a tornado.

"Zee!" Tony gasped as his hand shot to the back of her neck to pull her mouth to his, plunging his desperate tongue inside as they both exploded simultaneously together, setting free the seeds of their incomparable union.

They were both shaking uncontrollably when their bodies finally came back down to Earth and Tony cradled Ziva's head against his broad shoulder as they regained their scattered senses. God, he'd never had an experience like it before in his life. But then, he reasoned, he'd never loved anyone like Ziva before either. And he did love her even if he had never told her, and now was as good a time to rectify that.

"I've never told you that I love you, have I, Ziva?" he whispered against her throat.

He felt her stiffen in his arms but he hoped it was not with dread. She confirmed it a moment later when she pulled her head away from him so that she could see his face. His hand continued to caress her cheek and he was rewarded when she placed her own hand over his and placed a tender kiss to his palm.

"I love you, Ziva David." He repeated, hoping that she could see all his feelings for her on his face.

Ziva's eyes became liquid chocolate when she smiled and gave him the answer that he wanted to hear. "And I love you, Tony DiNozzo, so much."

Tony's smile dazzled with her response. He'd done it. He'd finally done it.

"So, you ready to go home now, with me?" He asked softly.

Ziva threw him a gentle smile of her own, pushing aside any fears that still plagued her, because she knew that with Tony, Gibbs, Tim and the rest of the team at her side, she had nothing to fear ever again.

"Yes, Tony, I'm ready to go home, with you."

End

18/4/2011


End file.
